The Basilica of the National Shrine of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary, also called the Baltimore Basilica, is a Catholic cathedral in Baltimore, Maryland. It was the first Catholic cathedral built in the United States after the nation's founding and was among the first major religious buildings constructed after the adoption of the United States Constitution.

It is actually a co-cathedral: it is one of the seats of the Catholic Archdiocese of Baltimore, Maryland, and a parish church (ranked minor basilica) and national shrine. It is considered the masterpiece of Benjamin Henry Latrobe, the "Father of American Architecture".

History

The Basilica was constructed between 1806 and 1863 to a design of Benjamin Henry Latrobe (1764–1820), America's first professionally trained architect and Thomas Jefferson's Architect of the Capitol. It was consecrated on May 25, 1876, by Archbishop James Roosevelt Bayley.

Many famous events have occurred within its walls, including the funeral Mass of Charles Carroll of Carrollton, the only Catholic signatory of the Declaration of Independence. Carroll also was the last surviving signer. Most of the first American bishops were consecrated here to fill the ever-multiplying dioceses necessitated by the young country's territorial expansion and the great growth of the American Catholic population. Until recent years, more priests were ordained at the Baltimore Basilica than in any other church in the United States.

The building hosted many of the 19th-century meetings that shaped the Catholic Church in America, including seven Provincial Councils and three Plenary Councils. and his Holy Communion took place on October 26.

Many people deemed holy by the Catholic Church are associated with the Basilica, including Mother Mary Lange, founder of the Oblate Sisters of Providence, the first order for black Catholic nuns;

Interior

The interior is occupied by a massive dome at the crossing of the Latin cross plan, creating a centralizing effect which contrasts the exterior impression of a linear or oblong building. Surrounding the main dome is a sophisticated system of barrel vaults and shallow, saucer-like secondary domes. The light-filled interior designed by Latrobe was striking in contrast to the dark, cavernous recesses of traditional Gothic cathedrals.

The Basilica houses many precious works of art, including two heroic portraits: the first entitled Descent from the Cross by Pierre-Narcisse Guérin and the second, by Baron Charles de Steuben, depicts Louis IX of France burying his plague-stricken troops before the siege of Tunis at the beginning of the Eighth Crusade in 1270. Both portraits were gifts of King Louis XVIII shortly after the 1821 opening of the Basilica.

Dome

thumb|Interior of the dome

Latrobe originally planned a masonry dome with a lantern on top, but his friend Thomas Jefferson suggested a wooden double-shell dome (of a type pioneered by French master builder Philibert Delorme) with 24 half-visible skylights. For the inner dome Latrobe created a solid, classically detailed masonry hemisphere. Grids of plaster rosettes adorn its coffered ceiling.

21st-century restoration

thumb|upright=0.8|left |View down the nave to the altar

A 32-month, $34 million restoration project was completed in 2006. The restoration included a total incorporation of modern mechanical systems throughout the building, while also restoring the interior to Latrobe's original design. Many "misguided accretions" were corrected. The original wall colors were restored (pale yellow, blue, and rose), as was the light-colored marble flooring which had been a dark green color for decades. Twenty-four skylights in the main dome were re-opened, and the stained glass windows (installed in the 1940s) were given to St. Louis parish in Clarksville, Maryland (whose new church was designed around them) and replaced with clear glass windows.

The Basilica's crypt was also made accessible to the public, as well as the expansive masonry undercroft (basement) of the church. The undercroft had been filled with sand from the construction of the cathedral, which prevented Carroll and Latrobe's vision of a Chapel in the undercroft. The sand was removed during the restoration, and the Our Lady Seat of Wisdom Chapel was finally realized.

Baltimore's Archbiship Cardinal William Keeler was one of the many champions of the restoration project, and he completed the restoration without dipping into the coffers of the Archdiocese, instead using private funds donated for the restoration. The Basilica was closed to the public from November 2004 through November 2006, reopening in time for the Basilica's Bicentennial and the biannual meeting of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops which was held in Baltimore to mark the occasion.

The historic pipe organ was built by Thomas Hall in 1821. It has been rebuilt by Hilborne L. Roosevelt (1884), Lewis & Hitchcock (1931), Schantz Organ Company (1989), and Andover Organ Company (2006). It was played in recital during the Organ Historical Society Convention in July 2024.

2011 earthquake

On August 23, 2011, an earthquake jolted the East Coast from Georgia to Quebec. It rattled through the Basilica, sending nearly 1,000 feet of cracks through its ceilings and walls. A seven-month, $3 million restoration was completed on Easter Sunday 2012.

Notable interments

Nine of the fourteen deceased Archbishops of Baltimore have been laid to rest in the Basilica's historic crypt. The crypt is located beneath the main altar, next to the Our Lady Seat of Wisdom Chapel, and is accessible to the public. Resting in the crypt are:

  • John Carroll, S.J., first Bishop of the United States; Archbishop of Baltimore: November 6, 1789 — December 3, 1815
  • Ambrose Maréchal, S.S., third Archbishop of Baltimore: July 4, 1817 – January 29, 1828
  • James Whitfield, fourth Archbishop of Baltimore: January 29, 1828 – October 19, 1834
  • Samuel Eccleston, P.S.S., fifth Archbishop of Baltimore: October 19, 1834 — April 22, 1851
  • Francis Patrick Kenrick, sixth Archbishop of Baltimore: August 19, 1851 — July 8, 1863
  • Martin John Spalding, seventh Archbishop of Baltimore: May 6, 1864 — February 7, 1872
  • James Cardinal Gibbons, ninth Archbishop of Baltimore: October 3, 1877 — March 24, 1921
  • Michael Joseph Curley, tenth Archbishop of Baltimore: August 10, 1921 — May 16, 1947 and first Archbishop of Washington: July 22, 1939 — May 16, 1947
  • William Cardinal Keeler, fourteenth Archbishop of Baltimore: May 23, 1983 — July 12, 2007

Historic designations

The Basilica of the Assumption was listed on the National Register of Historic Places on October 1, 1969,

See also

  • List of churches in the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Baltimore
  • List of Catholic cathedrals in the United States
  • List of cathedrals in the United States
  • Top Catholic pilgrimage destinations in the US

Notes

References

Additional sources

  • Official Cathedral Site
  • Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Baltimore Official Site
  • National Historic Landmark Listing
  • , including undated photo, at Maryland Historical Trust