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LARGEST TRADITIONAL CHURCHES IN AMERICA (continued)

October 20, 2018 By Howard Kramer 1 Comment

Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception

Washington, DC

Web: www.nationalshrine.com

DC Basilica Shrine wikipedia 2The Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception is the largest Catholic church building in the United States and was, for a brief time, the largest church of any denomination in the Western Hemisphere.  Its prominence comes from its location in the national capital, as well as from its association with John Carroll, the first Catholic Archbishop in the United States.  Carroll, a signed of the Declaration of Independence, famously offered his blessing on the new nation naming Our Lady of the Immaculate Conception as its patron.

The construction of the church began just after World War I, with a friendly rivalry taking place between it and the Washington National Cathedral being built across town.  It was completed in 1961, and for a brief period was the largest completed church in the United States.  It remains the largest Catholic church in America.  Interestingly, it is not the seat of the Archdiocese of Washington, which is why it is not designated as a cathedral.  It was, however, elevated to the position of a minor basilica in 1990.

St. Patrick’s Cathedral

New York City, New York

Web: www.saintpatrickscathedral.org

Patrick 1St. Patrick’s Cathedral is one of the largest and most important churches in the United States; and thanks to its incomparable location on Fifth Avenue in the heart of New York City, it is without rival the most visited, and overcrowded, church in America.  The site of the cathedral began humbly as home to a community of Trappist monks and later an orphanage.  During the early 19th century, large numbers of Catholic immigrants, especially from Ireland, necessitated the construction of a major new cathedral.  In 1850 New York became an Archbishopric, and work began on the new church a few years later.  It was substantially completed in 1878.

St. Patrick’s was the largest church in the Americas at the time of its completion, and remains to the present day the second tallest.  Thanks to its immense and spectacular façade, the cathedral manages to dominate its stretch of Fifth Avenue in the face of encroaching, modern-day skyscrapers.  It is perhaps most famous for hosting the city’s annual St. Patrick’s Day Parade every March 17th, one of the largest annual Catholic feast celebrations in America.  St. Patrick’s has also hosted among the highest number of papal visits of any cathedral in the United States.

Cathedral of St. Paul

St. Paul, Minnesota

Web: www.cathedralsaintpaul.org

MN St. Paul wikipedia 1The Cathedral of St. Paul, along with the Basilica of St. Mary, one of the co-cathedrals of the Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis.  It is the largest church in America outside of New York City and Washington DC.  It was founded in 1841 and was one of the first major permanent church buildings in the American northwest.  By 1888, the Roman Catholic Church had grown so large in the region that Minneapolis-St. Paul was established as an archdiocese, and new cathedrals were ordered for both cities.  The first to be completed was St. Paul’s, affirming it as the mother church of the archdiocese.

St. Paul’s opened in 1915, and for a brief period was America’s second largest church.  It continues to be the third largest Catholic church building in the United States, and remains one of the largest overall as well as the fourth tallest.  Its iconic feature is a massive copper dome, considered one of the finest in America.  In 2009 the Cathedral of St. Paul was designated the National Shrine of the Apostle Paul, the only church so designated in the United States.

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About Howard Kramer

Howard Kramer is the creator and author of The Complete Pilgrim. He first took an interest in religious sites in his early twenties when traveling through Italy after college. In the two decades since he has traveled to more than two dozen countries and almost every state, visiting and photographing hundreds of the world’s greatest churches, synagogues and other places of religious interest. Howard has been writing about religious sites for the better part of the last decade, and The Complete Pilgrim is a culmination of years of his work and passion.

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Welcome to The Complete Pilgrim(TM)! This site, created by Howard Kramer, is a combination travel blog and online guide to the world's greatest sites of religious interest (with some historic and recreational places thrown in for good measure). All written content has been originally researched and produced and is provided free for public research and enjoyment. Thank you for visiting!

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Have a comment, a great photo or a religious site you'd like to nominate for the weekly spotlight? We would love to hear from you. Email us at hkramer@thecompletepilgrim.com.

About the Author

Howard Kramer is the creator and author of The Complete Pilgrim. He first took an interest in religious sites in his early twenties when traveling through Italy after college. In the two decades since he has traveled to more than two dozen countries and almost every state, visiting and photographing hundreds of the world’s greatest churches, synagogues and other places of religious interest. Howard has been writing about religious sites for the better part of the last decade, and The Complete Pilgrim is the culmination of years of his work and passion.

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