The Basilica of the National Shrine of Mary, Help of Christians

History & Significance

Basilica · Est. Shrine founded 1863; present basilica church built 1930; minor basilica since 2006

The Basilica and National Shrine of Mary, Help of Christians at Holy Hill is a Roman Catholic Marian shrine in Hubertus, Wisconsin, dedicated to the Blessed Virgin Mary under the title Help of Christians. Father George Strickner dedicated the first log chapel on the hill in 1863, and the present Romanesque Revival church was completed in 1930. The Discalced Carmelite friars have overseen the site since 1906. Pope Benedict XVI raised it to the rank of minor basilica on July 11, 2006, with formal dedication by Archbishop Timothy Dolan that November. It serves the Archdiocese of Milwaukee and draws roughly 300,000 visitors annually.

Romanesque Revival

• •Minor basilica since 2006 (decreed by Pope Benedict XVI on July 11, 2006; dedicated November 19, 2006)
• •Located in the Archdiocese of Milwaukee
• •Overseen by the Discalced Carmelite order since 1906
• •Listed on the National Register of Historic Places (added March 12, 1992)
• •Present basilica church built in 1930; shrine origins date to an 1863 log chapel