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THE,BAL
A
NATIONAL
The
Baltimore
Basilical
,he
first
metropolitan
cathedral
constructed
in America
after the
adoption
of the
Constitution,
is
a
symbol of
religious
freedom and
an
historic
treasure
for
Americans of
all faiths.
After
construction
began
in
1806, the
cathedral
became
the
embodiment
of the
vision of
the
first
Bishop of the
United
States
(later
Archbishop),
John
Carroll,
and the
architect
of
the U.S.
Capitol,
Benjamin
Henry Latrobe.
Their
collaboration
pro'
duced
a building
that
in its day
rivaled
the Capitol
in size,
scale,
and architec-
tural sophistication.
Carroll,
founder of
Georgetown
University,
recognized
the
great
opportunity
presented
by
Pope
Pius
VI
to
"erect
a church
in the
form
of a
cathedral,
in as
much as the
times
and
circumstances
allow."
He also
realized
that the
new cathedral
for the
vast Diocese
of
Baltimore,
which stretched
from Maine to
Georgia
to the
Mississippi
River and
eventually
the territory
of the
Louisiana
Purchase,
should
be constructed
as a
temple on
a hill wor'
thy
of its Old
Testament
predecessors
-
a symbol
of the
newfound
freedom of
religion so
important to
the fabric
of the
newly formed
United
States.
For
more than
100
years,
the
British
had denied
this
freedom
to the
American colonists,
despite
the short'lived,
but
nobly conceived,
1649 Maryland
Act of Religious
Toleration.
John
Carroll
and
Benjamin
Henry
Latrobe
adopted
for
the cathedral
the
{or-
ward-looking
neoclas-
sical architecture
of
the
new
federal city
in
'!Tashington.
Carroll
wanted
an architectural
symbol
that was
neither
Gothic
nor reminiscent
of the
Dark
Ages
in Europe.
The corner'
stone was
laid in
1806. Despite
delays
caused
by the
.War
of
1812,
the Baltimore
Cathedral
was
finally completed
in
1821
by
Ambrose
Marechal,
the third
Archbishop
of
Baltimore.
Marechal
dedicated
the
great
edifice
to the
Assumption
of
the Blessed Virgin
Mary.
Niklaus
Pevsner, a
major
19th century
architectural
historian,
called
it
"North
America's
most beautiful
church."
Many
believe
it
is
Latrobe's
greatest work and
one of the
finest
examples of
neoclassi-
cal architecture
in
the
world.
TIN,IORE
BASILICA
SHRINE
AND
NATIONAL
HISTORIC LANDMARK
Many
significant
historic
events
have occurred
within
the cathedral's
walls,
including
the
funeral Mass of
Charles Carroll
of
Carrollton,
the
only
Catholic signer
of the
Declatation
of Independence
and cousin
of
Archbishop
John
Carroll.
Most of the
first Bishops
of
the Catholic
Church
in the United
States were
consecrated
here
to fill the
ever-mul-
tiplying
dioceses
necessitated
by the
great
waves of
immigration
in
the
19th century.
Under the
auspices
of the
Basilica,
Mother
Mary
Elizabeth
Lange
founded the
first order
of American
nuns
of African
descent,
the
Oblate Sisters
of
Providence,
in 1829.
The Councils
of
Baltimore
held
here in the
19th century
established
the
parish
system,
mandated
parochial
schools,
launched
the Catholic
University of
America,
and commissioned
the
famous
Baltimore
Catechism.
At
one
time,
more
priests
were ordained
here
than in any
other
church in
the
United States,
including
Father
Michael
J.
McGivney,
founder of
the
Knights of Columbus.
To honor the
great
history of
the cathedral,
Pope
Pius XI raised
the Baltimore
Cathedral
to
the rank
of a
Minor
Basilica on
September
1,
1937. Today the
Basilica
is officially
known as
the
Basilica
of the
National Shrine
of the
Assumption
of
the Blessed
Virgin
Mary.
During
the
last 200
years,
visitors
to the
Basilica
have
included
dignitaries
and
historical
figures
from
around
the
world,
including
Pope
John
Paul
II, Blessed
Teresa of Calcutta,
President
Andrew
Johnson,
the
Marquis de
Lafayette,
Ralph
-!7a1do
Emerson,
and
Chief
'lThitefeather
of the
Sioux
Tribe. At least
15 saints
or
potential
saints
have
prayed
here.
The Baltimore
Basilica
commemorated
its
bicentennial
anniversary
and the completion
of a
thirty-month
restoration
and
renovation
in
2006.
'Work
began
in
7004 to
provide
the
infrastructure
needed
to
support
the building
and
to restore
its
most impressive
original
features in
time
for
the anniversary.
The effort
included the
incorpora'
tion
of
modern systems
throughout
the cathedral
and the
restoration
of the interior design,
as
originally
intended
by architect
Latrobe.
Among the
highlights
of the
restoration
were replacing
and
updat'
ing aging and
potentially dangerous
electrical
and
piping
systems,
heating and air conditioning
systems, and
sound
and
hghting systems.
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The building
now
has
handicapped
access
and
is totally
compli-
ant with
the Americans
with
Disabilities
Act. The
Basilica's
24 skylights,
which
had been
closed or
removed
over time,
were
replaced
and
now
illuminate
the
cathedral
as the
living symbol
of
the light
of religious
freedom, as
was
originally
intended.
The new
interior
reflects
Latrobe's sub'
lime
simplicity,
with
flooring,
finishes,
furnishings,
and
lighting
replicated
to early
19th century
forms.
Access
has been
created
from
inside
the cathedral
to one
of the
great
religious
shrines
in
America: the
crypt,
which holds
the
tombs of
such
giants
as
Archbishop
John
Carroll,
Archbishop
Martin
John
Spalding,
and
James
Cardinal
Gibbons.
in
2008, the
Pope
John
Paul
II Prayer
Garden
was opened
at
the corner
of
North Charles
and
Franklin
Streets,
just
around
the
corner
from the
Basilica.
The
garden provides a
quiet
oasis
within the
city,
for reflection
and
relaxation. A visit
to the
garden
is
a wonderful
complement
to
your
Basilica
experience.
Today, the
cathedral
envisioned
by Archbishop
John
Carroll
as
a
gift
to all
Americans
and
"a
shining
citadel set up
in their
midst"
continues
to be
a special
place
of
light, life, and
faith.
7789 No\,'EMBER6 Pope Pius VI creates
the Diocese of Baltimore and
appoints
John
Carroll
the First Bishop of the
United States of
America.
7797 NovEMBER
z-10
The
Synod
of Baltimore, the first
formal
meeting of the U.S. Catholic Church,
is held at Saint Peter Pro-
Cathedral on Saratoga
Street.
18O5
JrlLy
zz Trustees approve architect Benjamin
Henry Latrobe's
neoclassical
plans
for
a
new cathedral.
1806
JULv
7
Archbishop
jchn
Carroll lays thc cornerstone.
7821
MAy31 Archbishop Ambrose Marechal dedicates
the cathedral
to the service of God, under
the title of the Assumption of
tlrc
Blessed
Virgin Mary.
7829 ocroBER3.18
The First Provincial Council
is held, asserting the
need for Catholic
schools.
183 1 ocroBER
28
.
NovEMBER 5 Alexis de
Tocqueville visits the
cathedral on his travels through
America, the basis for his book,
Democracl in America.
7852
MAye.2o The First Plenary Council
is
held,
extending the
legislation of the Seven
Provincial Councils to the entire
country.
7866 ocroBER
?.20
The Second
Plenary Council calls for
evangelization
of African-Americans and Native
Americans.
President Andrew
Johnson
attends.
7877 DECEMBER zz Father
Michael
J.
McGivney, founder of the
Knights of
Columbus, is ordained at the
Baltimore Cathedral.
1884 NovEMBER e.DECEMBER
z
The Third
Plenary Council, the largest
meeting of Catholic Bishops
held outside of Rome since the
Council
of Trent, formulates the
famous Baltimore Catechism,
which was in use until
the 1970's.
7906 ArRIL 6 The
100th anniversary of the laying of the cathedral's
cornerstone
is observed with a Pontifical
Mass celebrated by
James
Carclinal Gibbons.
7937 sErTEMBER
t Pope Pius Xl raises the Baltimore Cathedral
to the
rank of a Minor Basilica.
7972 No\.,EMBER 15 The
Baltimore Cathedral is declared a
National
Historic Landmark.
7993 sErTEMBER 1s The Basilica
is designated a National Shrine by
the National Conference
of Catholic Bishops.
7995 ocroBER
8 Pope
John
Paul II
makes
a
pastoral
visit to
Baltimore and
prays
within
the Basilica, where he
greets
a small
group
of
Basilica worshippers.
1,996 MAy 2e Blessed Teresa of Calcutta
attends the Renewal of Vows
of 35 of her
Missionaries of Charity.
7997 ocroBER
23 Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew
I, Archbishop
of Constantinople, visits
America's first Cathedral.
2OO4 ArRIL Restoration and
renovation of the Basilica begins.
2006 NovEMBER
4
The Basilica's 200th anniversary
is
commemorated
with a reopening celebration,
following an extensive 30-month
restoration
effort.
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