Basilicas in Northern Mexico

I blogged about the following basilica on January 27, 2020.

• Cathedral Basilica of Our Lady of Durango (Immaculate Conception) 

Cathedral Basilica of the Immaculate Conception, Mazatlán, Sinaloa

Declared a minor basilica by Pope Pius XII in 1941.

The Cathedral Basilica serves as the Cathedral for the Diocese of Mazatlán.  The church was built between 1856 and 1899.  It has an octagonal dome and twin towers.

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

Cathedral Basilica of Our Lady of the Assumption, Aguascalientes, Aguascalientes

Declared a minor basilica by Pope Pius XII in 1949.

The Spanish Baroque and Neoclassical basilica was built between 1704 and 1738.  The church has twin towers and a pink façade.  An image of the Virgin Mary was brought from Spain.

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

Cathedral Basilica of Our Lady of the Assumption, Zacatecas, Zacatecas

Declared a minor basilica by Pope John XXIII in 1959.

The Cathedral Basilica is the cathedral for the Diocese of Zacatecas.  It is an UNESCO World Heritage Site and its façade is considered an outstanding example of Baroque art.  The church, the third on the site, was built between 1752 and 1841.  The exterior is made from pink stone.  The highly decorated Baroque façade has statues of angels and saints.  The Neo-classical interior features a main altar made from Finnish birch and gilded in 24-carat gold.  The 17-foot high altar is ten feet wide and contains 25 kilograms of gold.  The altar has 11 images including the Virgin Mary and other saints.

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

Basilica of Our Lady of the Oak, Monterrey, Nuevo Leon

Declared a minor basilica by Pope Paul VI in 1973.

 In 1592, a Franciscan placed an image of Our Lady of Guadalupe at the top of an oak tree to protect it from vandals.  A few years later, a shepherd girl was tending her sheep near the tree and heard voices and saw lights coming from the tree seemingly of a miraculous nature.  Our Lady made it known that she wanted a church built on the site and one was.  The cornerstone of the current church was blessed by Pope Pius IX in 1854 and construction was completed a year and a half later.  The church was renovated in 1910 using a neoclassical style.

All pictures are from the Basilica website.

Cathedral Basilica of Our Lady of the Rosary, Culiacan, Sinaloa

Declared a minor basilica by Pope Paul VI in 1974.

The Neoclassical Cathedral Basilica was built between 1842 and 1885 and serves as the Cathedral for the Diocese of Culiacan.

The top picture is from a local website and the other two are from Wikipedia.

Basilica of Our Lady of Guadalupe, Monterrey, Nuevo Leon

Declared a minor basilica by Pope John Paul II in 1983.

The modern basilica has 52 gold roses above the altar and is a major pilgrimage destination.  It was completed in 1978 to replace an older church.

All pictures are from Wikipedia.

Basilica of the Immaculate Conception, Monterrey, Nuevo Leon

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

The Basilica was built in the early 1940’s in a modern style.  The concrete church is in the shape of a paraboloid.  The 140-foot tall tower is topped with a 21-foot baked clay image of the Virgin Mary.

The first two pictures are from Wikipedia and the last from Flickr.

Basilica of Our Lady of Refuge, Ciudad Victoria, Tamaulipas

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

The Neoclassical basilica dates to the late 19th Century.  It previously served as the cathedral for the Diocese of Ciudad Victoria.

All pictures are from Flickr.

Basilica of Our Lady of Guadalupe, San Luis Potosi, San Luis Potosi

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

The basilica was built between 1772 and 1800 to replace a church built in 1656.  It was designed by a Spanish architect using a combination of Spanish Baroque and Neoclassical styles.  The image of Our Lady of Guadalupe dates to 1838.  The French used the church as a barracks and warehouse from 1855 to 1871, but the church was restored.  Two steeples rise 175 feet.

All pictures are from Flickr.

Basilicas in Pacific Region

I blogged about the following basilicas on June 19, 2019:

• St. Mary’s Cathedral Basilica in Sydney, Australia.
• St. Patrick’s Cathedral Basilica in Melbourne, Australia.

Cathedral Basilica of the Sweet Name of Mary, Agana, Guam

Declared a minor basilica by Pope John Paul II in 1985.

The Cathedral Basilica serves as the Cathedral for the Archdiocese of Agana.  It is on the site of the first Catholic church on the island, which was built in 1669.  A previous cathedral was destroyed during the Second World War.  The current Cathedral Basilica opened in 1959.

Pictures are from Wikipedia and Weebly.

St. Patrick’s Basilica, Fremantle, Western Australia, Australia

Declared a minor basilica by Pope John Paul II in 1994.

St. Patrick’s parish was established in 1850 and is the third oldest parish in Western Australia.  The parish was entrusted to the Missionary Oblates of Mary Immaculate in 1894 and they built most of the current Gothic Revival church between 1898 and 1900.  The sanctuary was added in 1960.  It has the largest parish church pipe organ in Australia.

Pictures are from Flickr, Pinterest, and Destimap.

Basilica of St. Anthony of Padua, Nuku’alofa, Tongatapu, Tonga

Declared a minor basilica by Pope John Paul II in 1994.

The Basilica was built by volunteers between 1977 and 1980.

From Pinterest and TripAdvisor

Our Lady of Victories Basilica, Camberwell, Victoria, Australia

Declared a minor basilica by Pope John Paul II in 1996.

The Romanesque Basilica was built between 1913 and 1918.  It is built with Barrabool stone and has a copper clad dome.  A 12-foot wooden statue of the Virgin Mary tops the dome and is clad in copper gilt.  The 43 stained glass windows were made in England.

Pictures are from Flickr, the parish website, and Wikipedia.

St. Mary of the Angels Basilica, Geelong, Victoria, Australia

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

Construction of the Gothic Revival basilica began in 1854 and it was sufficiently completed to be consecrated in 1872.  It was not completed until 1937 and is constructed with Barrabool sandstone and bluestone.  The 150-foot spire is one of the tallest in Australia and is topped with an 8-foot cross.

Pictures are from Flickr, Wikipedia, and Pinterest.

Basilica of St. Ann, Leulumoega, Samoa

Declared a minor basilica by Pope Benedict XVI in 2009.

The Basilica was built by the Marist Fathers in the 19th Century and has two bell towers.  Pope Paul VI celebrated Mass here in 1970.

Pictures are from Pinterest and Wikipedia.

Basilicas in Ontario and Western Canada

I blogged about the following basilicas on January 18, 2019.

• Cathedral Basilica of Our Lady of Ottawa, Ottawa, Ontario
• Cathedral Basilica of St. Boniface, Winnipeg, Manitoba
• St. Joseph’s Cathedral Basilica, Edmonton, Alberta
• St. Michael’s Cathedral Basilica, Toronto, Ontario

St. Peter’s Cathedral Basilica, London, Ontario

Declared a minor basilica by Pope John XXIII in 1961.

St. Peter’s began as a log chapel in 1834.  The current French Gothic church was built between 1880 and 1885.  The twin towers, Lady Chapel, and sacristy were added in 1958.  It is the Cathedral for the Diocese of London.

Pictures are from TripAdvisor, Flickr, and Pinterest.

St. Patrick’s Basilica, Ottawa, Ontario

Declared a minor basilica by Pope John Paul II in 1995.

St. Patrick’s parish opened in 1855 to serve English-speaking Catholics, mostly Irish.  The current Gothic Revival building was built in the early 1870s.  The stenciled ceiling, most of the murals, and some of the stained glass windows were crafted by Guido Nincheri in the 1920s and 1930s.  The Cathedral has five choirs.

Pictures are from Wikipedia and Flickr.

St. Paul’s Basilica, Toronto, Ontario

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

St. Paul’s parish was established in 1822 and is the oldest parish in Toronto.  The original church building served as the first Cathedral for Toronto from 1842 to 1848.  The current Italian Renaissance church was completed in 1889 based on the design of the Basilica of Saint Paul Outside the Walls in Rome.  The Italianate bell tower was built in 1905.

The top two pictures are from Wikipedia, then Pinterest.

Cathedral Basilica of Christ the King, Hamilton, Ontario

Declared a minor basilica by Pope Benedict XVI in 2013.

The Cathedral Basilica of Christ the King was built between 1930 and 1933 and serves as the Cathedral for the Diocese of Hamilton.  It is made from limestone and employs a 13th Century English Gothic design.  The 165-foot bell tower contains a stone from the Roman catacombs.  The church has 82 stained glass windows from the Meyer Company of Munich, Germany, and a 5,000 pipe organ from Steinmeyer in Bavaria.  The Stations of the Cross were carved in Italy using Cararra marble.

The first two pictures are from Wikipedia and the last two are from Flickr.

Basilica of Our Lady Immaculate, Guelph, Ontario

Declared a minor basilica by Pope Francis in 2014.

The Gothic Revival church was built between 1876 and 1888 and is constructed with local limestone.  The two towers rise to 200 feet above street level.  Many of the Basilica’s decorative carvings were done by local artist, Matthew Bell, who fell to his death while working in the Basilica.

The top two pictures are from Flickr and the next two are from Wikipedia.

Basilica of Christ the King, Moosonee, Ontario

Declared a minor basilica by Pope Francis in 2020.

The church served as the cathedral for the Diocese of Moosonee from the church’s completion in 1938 until 2016, when the Diocese was suppressed.

The picture is from Wikipedia.

Basilica of St. Finnan, Alexandria, Ontario

Declared a minor basilica by Pope Francis in 2021.

St. Finnan’s began as a mission in 1832.  The current building was built between 1883 and 1885 and served as the Cathedral for the Diocese of Alexandria-Cornwall from 1890 until the Diocese’s suppression in 2020.

The first picture is from Flickr and the second is from the local newspaper.