Basilica of the National Shrine of Mary, Queen of the Universe
In the 1970s, as the theme parks of Central Florida began to draw millions of visitors, the Diocese of Orlando saw a need. So many tourists came to Mass on Sunday that local parishes could not hold them. Masses were first celebrated in a hotel ballroom, and the idea grew into a shrine built specially for visitors and dedicated to Mary, Queen of the Universe.
The church, dedicated in 1993, seats about two thousand people and is designed to welcome travellers. It has a Blessed Sacrament chapel, a museum and gallery of religious art, gardens with a rosary walk and a mausoleum. Masses and confessions are offered in several languages, and hundreds of thousands of visitors from around the world pass through each year.
In 2009 Pope Benedict XVI made it a minor basilica. The US bishops had designated it a National Shrine in 1993.
- Built
- 1984–1993
- Style
- Modern
- Where
- Orlando, Florida, United States
- Map
- Find it on OpenStreetMap
- Read about
- The Blessed Virgin Mary