Basilicas in Bolivia, Paraguay, Suriname, and Uruguay

Bolivia

I blogged about the following basilicas on July 8, 2020.

• Cathedral Basilica of Our Lady of Guadalupe, Sucre, Chuquisaca.
• Cathedral Basilica of Our Lady of Peace, La Paz, La Paz.
• Cathedral Basilica of St. Lawrence, Santa Cruz, Santa Cruz.

Cathedral Basilica of Our Lady of Peace, Potosi, Potosi

Declared a minor basilica by Pope Pius XI in 1938.

The church is the cathedral for the Diocese of Potosi.  The current church was built between 1808 and 1838 on the site of the previous 16th Century church which had collapsed.  The church was built using neoclassical and Baroque styles and has a stone façade.  The church has many religious items made of gold and silver.  For many years, the mines near Potosi supplied significant amounts of silver for the Spanish Empire.

Pictures are from Alamy and Wikipedia.

Basilica of Our Lady of Candelaria, Copacabana, La Paz

Declared a minor basilica by Pope Pius XII in 1940.

The Basilica was built in 1550 and rebuilt between 1610 and 1651 in the Renaissance and Moorish styles.  It has a statue of the Virgin of Candelaria that was carved by an indigenous artist in 1580.  In 2013, robbers stole gold and silver items from the Virgin’s statue and even stole a statue of the Baby Jesus.  May God have mercy on their souls.

Pictures are from a local source and Wikipedia.

Basilica of St. Francis, La Paz, La Paz

Declared a minor basilica by Pope Pius XII in 1948.

The Franciscans built a church on this site in downtown La Paz in the 16th Century but it collapsed during a snowstorm in the early 17th Century.  The current Mestizo Baroque church was built between 1743 and 1758.  A leader of Bolivian independence, Pedro Murillo (1757 to 1810), is buried in the church.

All pictures are from Wikipedia.

Basilica of St. Anthony the Abbot, Caquiaviri, La Paz

Declared a minor basilica by Pope John Paul II in 1991.

The Franciscans built this church between 1560 and 1570.  The church is mostly Baroque but has a Renaissance façade.  Inside are canvas paintings with religious themes.

The first picture is from a local source and the others are from Wikipedia.

Basilica of St. Francis, Sucre, Chuquisaca

Declared a minor basilica by Pope John Paul II in 1999.

The Colonial Baroque church was built by the Franciscans between 1539 and 1581.  One of the Basilica’s bells is known as the “Liberty Bell” because it was rung to call the people to rise up against Spanish colonial authorities.  The Bolivian president expropriated the church in 1825 to use for secular purposes.  It did not reopen as a church until 1868, and the Franciscans did not return until 1925.  The Bolivian army continues to use one of the former church buildings.

The first two pictures are from local sources and the last is from Wikipedia.

Basilica of Mary, Help of Christians, La Paz, La Paz

Declared a minor basilica by Pope John Paul II in 2000.

The modern art deco church was built in the mid-1900s.

Pictures are from Flickr and Wikipedia.

Paraguay

Basilica of Our Lady of the Pillar, Pilar, Neembucu

Declared a minor basilica by Pope John Paul II in 1979.

The church replaced a 19th Century church, although the bell tower from that church remains.  This church, with its marble and wood interior, was built during the first half of the 20th Century.  Italian Redemptorists took charge of the church in 1951 and greatly improved its appearance.

Pictures are from a local source, TripAdvisor, and Wikipedia.

Cathedral Basilica of Our Lady of Miracles, Caacupe, Cordillera

Declared a minor basilica by Pope Francis in 2015.

The Basilica is the cathedral for the Diocese of Caacupe.  It was built in 1765 and is a national shrine in Paraguay.  Two popes—John Paul II and Francis—have visited the Basilica.

The top picture is from Alamy and the other two are from Wikipedia.

Suriname

Cathedral Basilica of Sts. Peter and Paul, Paramaribo

Declared a minor basilica by Pope Francis in 2014.

The first church was a converted theater that served the parish from 1826 to 1885.  The current building was constructed with cedar wood between 1883 and 1887, and the towers were not completed until 1901.  The church became the Diocesan cathedral in 1958.  The cathedral was closed between 1989 and 2010 for renovations.

The first picture is from a local source, the second from Pinterest, and the last two from Wikipedia.

Uruguay

I blogged about the following basilica on January 6, 2021.

• Cathedral Basilica of the Immaculate Conception, St. Philip and St. James, Montevideo, Montevideo.

Basilica of Our Lady of the Rosary, Paysandu, Paysandu

Declared a minor basilica by Pope Pius XII in 1949.

The Basilica is also dedicated to St. Benedict of Palermo.  The parish was established in 1805, and the current church was built in 1860.  It was severely damaged in 1864-5 during a civil war but was eventually rebuilt.

Pictures are from a local source and Wikipedia.

Cathedral Basilica of St. Joseph, San Jose de Mayo, San Jose

Declared a minor basilica by Pope Pius XII in 1957.

The Basilica is the cathedral for the Diocese of San Jose de Mayo.  It was constructed between 1857 and 1874.

The first two pictures are from local sources and the last is from Wikipedia.

Cathedral Basilica of Our Lady of Lujan, Florida, Florida

Declared a minor basilica by Pope John XXIII in 1963.

The Basilica is the cathedral for the Diocese of Florida.  The neo-Renaissance church was built between 1894 and 1897 and has twin 200-foot-tall towers.  The Basilica houses a cedar wood statue of the Virgin Mary known as the Virgin of the Thirty-Three Orientals—a title of Uruguayan origin dating to the 1800s. 

The first picture is from Flickr, the second is from a local source, and the last two are from Wikipedia.

Basilica of the Blessed Sacrament, Colonia del Sacramento, Colonia

Declared a minor basilica by Pope John Paul II in 1997.

Although the parish dates to 1680, a substantial church was not built until 1810.  This building was mostly destroyed in 1823 after lightning struck gunpowder stored in the sacristy.  It was restored between 1836 and 1841 and further improvements were made in the 19th and 20th Centuries.

The first picture is from Flickr and the others are from Wikipedia.

Cathedral Basilica of St. John the Baptist, Salto, Salto

Declared a minor basilica by Pope John Paul II in 1997.

The Basilica is the cathedral for the Diocese of Salto.  The eclectic and Baroque church was built in the late 19th Century.

From Flickr and Wikipedia.

 

Basilicas in Italy—Campania 4

Basilica of Our Lady of the Assumption and St. Philip Neri, Guardia Sanframondi, Benevento

Declared a minor basilica by John Paul II in 1989.

The Baroque church was built in the late 1600s after an earthquake destroyed its predecessor.  

The first picture is from the basilica website and the other two are from Wikipedia.

Basilica of Our Lady of Loreto, Forio, Naples

Declared a minor basilica by Pope John Paul II in 1989.

Parts of the church date in the early 1300s, but it was primarily built in its current form in 1580.  Additions and renovations have been done in later centuries.  The church has many works of art.

Both pictures are from local websites.

Basilica Shrine of Our Lady and Collegiate Church of St. John the Baptist, Mondragone, Caserta

Declared a minor basilica by Pope John Paul II in 1990.

The Basilica was built by local rulers in the 16th Century on the site of an earlier 14th Century Gothic church.  It was expanded and renovated in the 18th Century and again just recently.  Today it has touches of Renaissance and Baroque.  The church has a Byzantine-style icon called the “Madonna Incaldana” whose origins are murky, but likely date to the 14th Century. 

All pictures are from Wikipedia.

Basilica of the Annunciation, Vitulano, Benevento

Declared a minor basilica by Pope John Paul II in 1991.

The church was consecrated in 1715 and is administered by the Franciscans.

Both pictures are from local sources

Basilica of St. Maurin Abbot, Casoria, Naples

Declared a minor basilica by Pope John Paul II in 1999.

Portions of the church (notably the façade) date to the 9th Century, but the current church was completed in 1621.  St. Maurin was a disciple of St. Benedict.

The first two pictures are from local sources, the third is from Pinterest, and the last from Wikipedia.

Basilica of St. Restituta, Lacco Ameno, Naples

Declared a minor basilica by Pope John Paul II in 2001.

This church was ordered to be constructed by the Emperor Constantine in the 4th Century.  It was once the cathedral for Naples and is now a chapel of the current cathedral.  (It is smaller than it once was.)  Originally Gothic, it was renovated in the 17th and 18th Centuries using a Baroque style.

The top picture is from a local source and the rest are from Wikipedia.

Basilica of the Body of Christ, Maddaloni, Caserta

Declared a minor basilica by Pope John Paul II in 2003.

A chapel was built here in the 16th Century and was replaced by the current Neapolitan Baroque church in the 18th Century.

Pictures are from local sources.

Basilica of St. Anthony of Padua, Afragola, Naples

Declared a minor basilica by Pope John Paul II in 2004.

The Baroque church was erected by the Franciscans in the 17th Century.

Pictures are from a local source and TripAdvisor.

Basilica of St. Sossius, Frattamaggiore, Naples

Declared a minor basilica by Pope Benedict XVI in 2006.

The Romanesque and Lombard style church was built between the 10th and 13th Centuries.  It was built by a man who had escaped an attack by the Saracens.

The first two pictures are from local sources and the last is from Wikipedia.

Basilica of St. Lucy of the Sea, Naples, Naples

Declared a minor basilica by Pope Benedict XVI in 2012.

There has been a church here since at least the 9th Century and it received its name because the church used to be near the shoreline, which has shifted.  A 19th Century church was replaced by the current Neo-Renaissance church after the Second World War.  The Italian actor, Toto, visited the church in 1957.  A serious eye disorder prevented him from working.  After this visit (St. Lucy is the patron saint of eye diseases) and additional treatment, he was able to return to work.

The first picture is from TripAdvisor and the other two are from Wikipedia.

Co-Cathedral Basilica of the Assumption of Mary and St. Stephen the Bishop, Caiazzo, Caserta

Declared a minor basilica by Pope Francis in 2013.

The Basilica is the co-cathedral for the Diocese of Alife-Caiazzo.  The church is thought to be built on the ruins of a Roman temple and is thus quite old.  It has been renovated over the centuries.

From a local source.

Basilica of Our Lady of Carpignano, Grottaminarda, Avellino

Declared a minor basilica by Pope Francis in 2019.

A painting of the Virgin and Child was discovered in 1150 and a small church was built.  The current church was built in the 19th Century and in 1901 was entrusted to the Mercedarian Fathers.  The painting today is mostly a 16th Century reproduction.  The church was almost entirely rebuilt after a 1980 earthquake.

All pictures are from the basilica website.