The Basilica of St. John the Evangelist

History & Significance

Basilica · Est. Parish founded 1850s (independent mission 1854); current church consecrated 1886; minor basilica since 2009

Founded by Irish immigrants in the 1850s (an independent mission by 1854), the Basilica of Saint John the Evangelist in Stamford, Connecticut, is the mother church of the city's Catholic community. The present stone Gothic church was designed by architect James Murphy of Providence, Rhode Island, and consecrated on May 30, 1886, by Bishop Lawrence Stephen McMahon. On July 16, 2009, Pope Benedict XVI elevated the parish to the dignity of a minor basilica. It serves the Roman Catholic Diocese of Bridgeport.

Gothic Revival stone church with a white Carrara marble and Mexican onyx high altar

• •Minor basilica since July 16, 2009, by decree of Pope Benedict XVI
• •Belongs to the Roman Catholic Diocese of Bridgeport, Connecticut
• •Present church consecrated May 30, 1886, by Bishop Lawrence Stephen McMahon
• •Designed by architect James Murphy of Providence, Rhode Island
• •Founded by Irish immigrants; an independent mission by 1854