History & Significance
Basilica · Est. Construction began 1842; dedicated December 25, 1843
St. Mary Basilica in Natchez, Mississippi, began construction in 1842 and was dedicated on Christmas Day 1843 as the cathedral of the Diocese of Natchez (erected 1837), under the title Our Lady of Sorrows. It was designed by Baltimore architect Robert Cary Long Jr., with James Hardie as supervising architect, and was consecrated in 1886. After the see moved and the diocese was renamed in 1977, the former cathedral became a parish church of the Diocese of Jackson. Pope John Paul II designated it a minor basilica in 1998.
Gothic Revival, with apsidal end, ornamental pinnacles, and buttresses
- •Originally the cathedral of the Diocese of Natchez, erected by Pope Gregory XVI in 1837
- •Designated a minor basilica by Pope John Paul II on September 8, 1998 (dedicated 1999)
- •Now a parish church of the Diocese of Jackson after the see moved and was renamed in 1977
- •Listed on the National Register of Historic Places (1979) as a contributing property of the Natchez On-Top-of-the-Hill Historic District
- •Designed by Baltimore architect Robert Cary Long Jr.; dedicated under the title Our Lady of Sorrows
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