Cathedral Basilica of Saint John the Baptist

History & Significance

Basilica · Est. Parish founded 1799; current cathedral dedicated April 30, 1876

The Cathedral Basilica of St. John the Baptist in Savannah, Georgia is the mother church of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Savannah, which Pope Pius IX erected in 1850. The parish traces to a frame church built in 1799; the present French/High Victorian Gothic cathedral, designed by Baltimore architect Francis Baldwin, was dedicated in 1876. After a fire gutted the interior in 1898, it was rebuilt and rededicated in 1900. Pope Francis raised it to the dignity of a minor basilica in 2020.

French / High Victorian Gothic Revival with twin spires

• •Cathedral seat and mother church of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Savannah (erected 1850)
• •Present cathedral dedicated April 30, 1876; designed by architect Francis (Ephraim Francis) Baldwin
• •Interior destroyed by fire February 6, 1898, then rebuilt and rededicated October 28, 1900
• •Designated a minor basilica by Pope Francis in 2020
• •Known for its twin spires (~214 feet) and stained glass from the Innsbruck glassmakers of Austria