The Immaculate Conception of Mary, patroness of the United States

The Cathedral-Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception in Washington, D.C., U.S.A., is the largest in America and among the largest in the world. The Basilica is the national Catholic place of worship of the United States, and the Immaculate Conception - a title granted to the Virgin Mary by Pope Pius IX in 1847 - is its national Patroness.

This cathedral-basilica is 139.90 meters long, which is longer than St. Paul's outside the Walls in Rome and St. Sophia in Istanbul! It is 30 meters high, with a 80m high dome and a 100m high campanile. There is a lower church in the crypt and an upper church. The apses illustrate the countless devotions particular to all the cultures of the Americas.

The foundation stone was laid in 1920 and the shrine itself was dedicated on November 20, 1959 by Cardinal Spellman. This colossal building is an expression of a great faith and love of God and Mary.

It was Pope John Paul II who elevated the National Shrine to the status of a Minor Basilica on October 12, 1990, and later, on April 16, 2008, Pope Benedict XVI gifted it with a Golden Rose.

This national shrine is very much alive: in its Lourdes chapel a perpetual rosary is offered for peace. In the crypt church, people pray the rosary every morning. Confessions are offered daily, and continuous pilgrimages are organized from spring to fall.

Additionally, the Shrine hosts many concerts of sacred music, and broadcasts programs with famous guest speakers and theologians through its radio and television stations.

Translated and adapted from:

Attilio GALLI, Madre della Chiesa dei Cinque continenti, Ed. Segno, Udine, 1997, pp. 835-854

Official website: https://www.nationalshrine.org