St. Mary's Basilica (Phoenix)

St. Mary's Church

Saint Mary's Basilica in Phoenix, Arizona
Location Phoenix, Arizona
Coordinates 33°27′2.48″N 112°4′6.26″W / 33.4506889°N 112.0684056°W / 33.4506889; -112.0684056Coordinates: 33°27′2.48″N 112°4′6.26″W / 33.4506889°N 112.0684056°W / 33.4506889; -112.0684056
Built 1902
Architect Gray,R.A., & Gallagher,George; Rifley,W.J.
Architectural style Mission Revival/Spanish Colonial Revival
NRHP Reference # 78000551[1]
Added to NRHP November 29, 1978

Saint Mary's Basilica, officially named The Church of the Immaculate Conception of the Blessed Virgin Mary in the Roman Catholic Diocese of Phoenix, was founded in 1881 and staffed by the Franciscan Friars since 1895.

The church was completed in 1914, dedicated in 1915, and listed on the National Register of Historic Places as St. Mary's Church in 1978. The oldest Roman Catholic parish in the greater Phoenix, Arizona, area, it was the only Roman Catholic parish in Phoenix until 1924 and is home to Arizona's largest stained glass windows collection.

Architecture

The church's Mission Revival–Spanish Colonial Revival structure supports four domes spanning the length of the Basilica. All the domes are compound design with the pendentives, following Roman architecture, transferring the weight of the roof to the pillars. The dome over the intercept point of the crossover, the nave center aisle and the apse, is topped with stained glass and features a lantern above the dome to emit light into the nave and sanctuary. The dome located over the altar is topped with a cupola designed to provide light to the altar.

Basilica

Pope John Paul II elevated St. Mary's to a minor basilica before his visit to Phoenix in 1987. St. Mary's became the 32nd basilica in the United States and remains the only basilica in Arizona. The church, a Phoenix Points of Pride, is located at the northeast corner of North 3rd Street and Monroe in downtown Phoenix, a carillon of the burgeoning Copper Square. Mass is celebrated every day of the week.

See also

References

  1. ↑ National Park Service (2007-01-23). "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service.
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