About the country’s very first cathedral. – For Clare
Know in Baltimore as “The Basilica” or “The Baltimore Cathedral”– the structure’s full name is The Basilica of the National Shrine of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary. It is the first cathedral built in the United States after we became a nation. While not the oldest cathedral – those honors belong to the Cathedral-Basilica of Saint Louis, King of France in New Orleans – built when that city was still under French rule. Our Basilica is known as “America’s First Cathedral” because it was built right after America became, well… America.
Its architect was distinctly American as well. Benjamin Henry LaTrobe (1764-1820) was responsible for the construction of our Capitol Building, the porticos on the White House, St. John’s Lafayette Square, the gatehouse of the Washington Navy Yard, as well as buildings in Philadelphia, Virginia and Louisiana. Born in Yorkshire, England and educated in Europe, LaTrobe, with his love of all things American, moved here in 1796 after the revolution and settled in Virginia.
Begun in 1806, on land aquired from the Howard family, and completed in 1821, it is made from stone quarried near Ellicott City. The Basilica is a neo-classical style building with a Greek portico and ionic columns. The belfries with their onion domes were completed in 1837. While designed by LaTrobe, additional guidance was provided by John Carroll, cousin of Charles Carroll (signer of the Declaration of Independence) and the first American Bishop in the Roman Catholic Church. It is considered to be LaTrobe’s masterpiece. It is part of the Cathedral Hill Historic District, which includes The First Unitarian Church (dedicated in 1818), Franklin Street Presbyterian Church (dedicated in 1847), Old St. Paul’s Church (founded 1692 and built at its current location in 1730), and St. Paul’s Church Rectory (original building built in 1739 – current building built in 1791). It is also the reason that district has its name. It is also part of the Mt. Vernon Cultural District which includes the Walters Art Gallery and The Peabody Institute. It sits right across the street from the main branch of the Enoch Pratt Free Library.
The Basilica contains many, many notable pieces of art: most notable are “Rafael’s Angels” which flank the altar. They are wooden and were carved in 1821 by German artisans. The umbraculum or “papal umbrella” sits to the right of the altar and designates the church as a basilica – in this case a “minor basilica” owning to the colors and cloth. The umbrella is red and yellow silk as opposed to red velvet and cloth of gold which designates a “major basilica”. The baptismal font and holy water font are both classically carved and are part of the furnishings presented in 1821 to Archbishop Marechal.
The painting “Descent From The Cross” by Piere-Narcisse, Baron Guerin (1774-1833) was another 1821 present to the church, this time by King Louis XVIII of France.
In 2006, an almost 3 year restoration project was finished with the building being returned to LaTrobe’s original vision and design. Clear glass windows replaced stained glass, skylights were re-opened, marble floors were replaced and the entire place was repainted in the original colors of pale yellow, blue and rose pink. Additionally, quite literally, tons of sand was removed from the undercroft. It had been there since construction and because LaTrobe’s plan included a chapel in the undercroft, it was finally completed. The crypt, containing the remains of 9 of Baltimore’s Archbishops was finally opened to the public as well.
- John Carroll, S.J. – 1st first Bishop of the U.S.; Archbishop of Baltimore: Nov. 6, 1789 – Dec. 3, 1815
- Ambrose Maréchal, S.S. – 3rd Archbishop of Baltimore: July 4, 1817 – Jan. 29, 1828
- James Whitfield – 4th Archbishop of Baltimore: Jan. 29, 1828 – Oct. 19, 1834
- Samuel Eccleston, P.S.S. – 5th Archbishop of Baltimore: Oct. 19, 1834 – April 22, 1851
- Francis Patrick Kenrick – 6th Archbishop of Baltimore: Aug. 19, 1851 – July 8, 1863
- Martin John Spalding – 7th Archbishop of Baltimore: May 6, 1864 – Feb. 7, 1872
- James Cardinal Gibbons – 9th Archbishop of Baltimore: Oct. 3, 1877 – March 24, 1921
- Michael Joseph Curley – 10th Archbishop of Baltimore: Aug. 10, 1921 – May 16, 1947 and 1st Archbishop of Washington: July 22, 1939 — May 16, 1947
- William Cardinal Keeler – 14th Archbishop of Baltimore: May 23, 1983 — July 12, 2007
The Basilica is associated with Servant of God Mother Mary Lange (1789-1882) Foundress of the Oblate Sisters of Providence and The St. Frances School (still in operation in Baltimore); the Blessed Father Michael J. McGivney (1852-1890), founder of the Knights of Columbus, who was ordained in the Basilica in 1877; and St. John Neumann (1811-1860), who founded America’s Catholic schools. Thirty other bishops were also ordained there.
While open to visitors and guided tours, it is also a parish church where Pope Saint John Paul II has been in attendance as well as Saint Teresa of Calcutta (Mother Teresa.)
Placed on the Nation Register of Historic Places in 1969, it was designated a National Historic Landmark in 1971. Pope Pius XI raised the Cathedral to the rank of Minor Basicila in 1937, giving it precedence before other churches, and the 1993 it was designated a National Shrine.
The Archbishop’s Residence adjoins the back of the basilica via a covered walkway. Originally the sextons House, it was built in 1840 and the entire complex is surrounded by an iron fence that was constructed in 1841. Also adjacent to the complex is the Pope John II Prayer Garden, built in 2008 to commemorate his visit to Baltimore in 1995.
Left: The aisle facing the altar – the Papal umbrella can be seen on the right
Right: the dome with its 24 skylights (Thomas Jefferson is partly responsible for its design)
Photos: Wikipedia
The Archbishop’s Residence and the Prayer Garden – photos from Google (maps and streetview)
Sources:
https://www.archbalt.org/parishes/all-parishes/basilica-of-the-assumption/
https://mht.maryland.gov/nr/NRDetail.aspx?NRID=32
Baltimore Through My Eyes 