Cathedral Basilica of Saints Peter and Paul
In 1844 nativist mobs burned two Catholic churches in Philadelphia. Two years later Bishop Francis Kenrick began a new cathedral on Logan Square. It was designed by Napoleon LeBrun and John Notman on the model of Roman churches, with a copper dome and a great Corinthian portico. Its windows were placed high above the street, out of reach of rioters’ stones. It was built slowly, largely with the pennies of immigrant workers, and completed in 1864. Saint John Neumann, bishop of Philadelphia from 1852 to 1860, oversaw much of the construction.
It is the largest Catholic church in Pennsylvania. Beneath the altar is the crypt of the archbishops of Philadelphia. Constantino Brumidi, who painted the dome of the U.S. Capitol, painted the apse.
Pope Saint John Paul II celebrated Mass here in 1979, and Pope Francis celebrated Mass here in 2015 during the World Meeting of Families. It was made a minor basilica in 1976.
- Built
- 1846–1864
- Style
- Italian Renaissance (Palladian)
- Where
- Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States
- Map
- Find it on OpenStreetMap
- Read about
- Saint Peter · Saint Paul