St. Mary's Basilica
Introduction
Text-to-speech Audio
St. Mary's Basilica is home to the oldest Catholic parish in Phoenix. Construction began on this site in 1880 and is Phoenix's second oldest Christian congregation; the first one being the First Presbyterian Church, founded in 1879. The current church building, which was declared a basilica by Pope John Paul II in 1985, was built in two stages. The first occurred between 1902-1903 when the basement was built. This area served as the church until the rest of the building was constructed from 1913-1914. It was designed with a Moorish Revival style exterior (with some Romanesque features) and a Romanesque style interior. The basilica features the largest number of stained glass windows in the state and an organ containing 1,337 pipes that was installed in 1921. The basilica was placed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1978. The schedule of Masses and Gift Shop hours are listed below.
Images
Backstory and Context
Text-to-speech Audio
Sources
"St. Mary's Basilica." The Historical Marker Database. Accessed March 14, 2017. http://www.hmdb.org/marker.asp?MarkerID=64854.
Wilson, Marjorie. "St. Mary's Church." National Park Service - National Register of Historic Places Nomination Form. November 29, 1978. https://npgallery.nps.gov/GetAsset/39ea90bc-671d-4b6c-82fa-3948b9a62c5d.
Official Website, St. Mary's Basilica, accessed August 17, 2017.
http://saintmarysbasilica.org/