The Basilica of St. Fidelis [Aka "The Cathedral of the Plains"]

History & Significance

Basilica · Est. Built 1908-1911; dedicated August 27, 1911

The Basilica of St. Fidelis in Victoria, Kansas, was built between 1908 and 1911 by Volga-German immigrant parishioners, who hauled local fencepost limestone by wagon; it was designed by architect John T. Comes of Pittsburgh and dedicated on August 27, 1911. Three-time presidential candidate William Jennings Bryan visited in 1912 and nicknamed it the "Cathedral of the Plains." Part of the Catholic Diocese of Salina, it was elevated to a minor basilica in 2014, becoming the first basilica in Kansas.

Romanesque Revival with Gothic elements, in native limestone

• •Part of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Salina (whose cathedral is Sacred Heart Cathedral in Salina)
• •Designated a minor basilica in 2014, the first basilica in Kansas and 78th in the United States
• •Built 1908-1911 of local fencepost limestone hauled by parishioners; designed by John T. Comes of Pittsburgh
• •Nicknamed 'Cathedral of the Plains' by William Jennings Bryan in 1912
• •Added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1971