Basilica of the National Shrine of the Assumption

John Carroll, the first Catholic bishop in the United States, laid the cornerstone of his cathedral in Baltimore in 1806. It was the first great cathedral built in the new nation after the adoption of the Constitution, and it was meant to show that Catholics were at home in a land of religious freedom. The architect was Benjamin Henry Latrobe, who also designed the United States Capitol. He gave his services free of charge.

Latrobe created a light-filled Neoclassical church with a great central dome pierced by skylights, very unlike the Gothic churches of Europe. It was dedicated in 1821. For decades it was the centre of Catholic life in America, and the great national councils of the American bishops met here.

A major restoration completed in 2006 brought back Latrobe’s original design, with clear glass windows and bright light pouring in from the skylights of the dome. Pope Pius XI made it a minor basilica in 1937. Pope Saint John Paul II visited in 1995.

Built

1806–1821

Style

Neoclassical (Benjamin Henry Latrobe)

Where

Baltimore, Maryland, United States

Map

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