St. Mary's Basilica – officially The Church of the Immaculate Conception of the Blessed Virgin Mary – is a church of the

Diocese of Phoenix The Diocese of Phoenix ( la, Dioecesis Phoenicensis; es, Diócesis de Phoenix) is a Roman Catholic ecclesiastical territory or diocese in the state of Arizona in the United States. It was established on December 2, 1969, when it was split off ...

located at 231 North 3rd Street at the corner of East Monroe Street in downtown

Phoenix, Arizona Phoenix ( ; nv, Hoozdo; es, Fénix or , yuf-x-wal, Banyà:nyuwá) is the capital and most populous city of the U.S. state of Arizona, with 1,608,139 residents as of 2020. It is the fifth-most populous city in the United States, and the on ...

. It was previously known as St. Mary's Church. It was built from 1902 to 1914 in a combination of the

Mission Revival The Mission Revival style was part of an architectural movement, beginning in the late 19th century, for the revival and reinterpretation of American colonial styles. Mission Revival drew inspiration from the late 18th and early 19th century ...

and

Spanish Colonial Revival The Spanish Colonial Revival Style ( es, Arquitectura neocolonial española) is an architectural stylistic movement arising in the early 20th century based on the Spanish Colonial architecture of the Spanish colonization of the Americas. In the ...

styles, and was dedicated in 1915. It replaced an earlier adobe church built in 1881 when the parish was founded. The parish has been staffed by the

Franciscan Friars , image = FrancescoCoA PioM.svg , image_size = 200px , caption = A cross, Christ's arm and Saint Francis's arm, a universal symbol of the Franciscans , abbreviation = OFM , predecessor = , ...

since 1895. The current church was elevated to a

minor basilica In the Catholic Church, a basilica is a designation given by the Pope to a church building. Basilicas are distinguished for ceremonial purposes from other churches. The building need not be a basilica in the architectural sense (a rectangular ...

Pope John Paul II Pope John Paul II ( la, Ioannes Paulus II; it, Giovanni Paolo II; pl, Jan Paweł II; born Karol Józef Wojtyła ; 18 May 19202 April 2005) was the head of the Catholic Church and sovereign of the Vatican City State from 1978 until his ...

in 1985. The oldest

Catholic The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with 1.3 billion baptized Catholics worldwide . It is among the world's oldest and largest international institutions, and has played a ...

parish church in the greater Phoenix area, St. Mary's was the only parish in Phoenix until 1924 and is home to Arizona's largest stained glass windows collection and a 26-rank pipe organ built by the Schantz Organ Company.

Architecture

The church's structure supports four domes spanning the length of the basilica. All the domes are compound design with the pendentives, following

Roman architecture Ancient Roman architecture adopted the external language of classical Greek architecture for the purposes of the ancient Romans In modern historiography, ancient Rome refers to Roman civilisation from the founding of the city of Rome ...

, transferring the weight of the roof to the pillars. The dome over the intercept point of the crossover, the nave center aisle and the

apse In architecture, an apse (plural apses; from Latin 'arch, vault' from Ancient Greek 'arch'; sometimes written apsis, plural apsides) is a semicircular recess covered with a hemispherical vault or semi-dome, also known as an '' exedra''. ...

, is topped with stained glass and features a lantern above the dome to emit light into the nave and sanctuary. The dome located over the altar is topped with a

cupola In architecture, a cupola () is a relatively small, most often dome-like, tall structure on top of a building. Often used to provide a lookout or to admit light and air, it usually crowns a larger roof or dome. The word derives, via Italian, fro ...

designed to provide light to the altar. The two bell towers are topped with onion shaped domes, typical of the churches of Bavaria and Austria, where Novatus Benzing, the pastor at the time, and Leonard Darscheid, the architectural consultant, both originated. The towers house four bells which ring daily. The large upper windows depict scenes from the life of the Blessed Virgin Mary, while the lower nave and transept windows depict images of popular saints of the Franciscan Order and of the heritage of the cultures represented in the community at the time (German, Spanish, Irish). According to its National Register nomination, "All stained glass was done by Emil Frei Art Glass Company of St. Louis. The Stations of the Cross, cast in high relief on gold background, were made by Andrew Kaletta Company of St. Louis. The woodwork and pews, all of oak, were made by Theodore Kuntz of Cleveland." The design for the church was developed while it was under direction of the Franciscan Fathers of the Sacred Heart Province of St. Louis, Missouri. One source describes its architecture as

with some Romanesque features; that source and another indicate that plans for the church evolved from Gothic Revival sketches by pastor Novatus Benzing. Upon request for consulting, Franciscan Father Leonard Darscheid of St. Louis "added a number of features, including the design for the baptismal font, to what at that point was a gothic plan". In its detail it was designed by parishioner and architect George Gallagher (architect) and design was completed by Gallagher's partner R. A. Gray (architect). It was built, at least partially (including its basement), by contractor W. J. Ripley. The building was added to the

National Register of Historic Places The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the United States federal government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures and objects deemed worthy of preservation for their historical significance or "great artistic ...

in 1978, deemed significant for its architecture, as "St. Mary's Church". With The building was deemed architecturally significant "as the largest, earliest, and most impressive Mission Revival structure in Arizona."

Basilica

elevated St. Mary's to the rank of a minor

basilica In Ancient Roman architecture, a basilica is a large public building with multiple functions, typically built alongside the town's Forum (Roman), forum. The basilica was in the Latin West equivalent to a stoa in the Greek East. The building ...

in 1985, two years before his visit to Phoenix in 1987, when he visited St. Mary's and addressed crowds of thousands from the balcony on the facade. The principal symbols of its status as a basilica – the tintinnabulum (large bell on a column) and the ombrellone (large gold and red umbrella) – are displayed in the sanctuary. St. Mary's became the 32nd basilica in the United States and remains the only basilica in Arizona. The church, a

Phoenix Points of Pride The Phoenix Points of Pride are 33 landmarks and attractions in Phoenix, Arizona, selected by voters since 1992 to represent the city's best features for residents and visitors. They include structures, such as St. Mary's Basilica, the Phoenix Z ...

, is located at the northeast corner of North 3rd Street and Monroe in downtown Phoenix, a carillon of the

Copper Square Downtown Phoenix is the central business district (CBD) of the City of Phoenix, Arizona, United States. It is located in the heart of the Phoenix metropolitan area or Valley of the Sun. Phoenix, being the county seat of Maricopa County, Ari ...

Clergy and staff

The basilica is staffed by the

of the Province of Saint Barbara, whose coat of arms and various symbolism can be found displayed prominently throughout the building. The rector is Michael Weldon, and he is assisted by the parochial vicars, Micah Muhlen and Edward Sarrazin. Also in residence are Luis Baldonado and Scott Slattum. Due to the centrality of its location and its historical importance, many of the important liturgical events of the

are split between the basilica and the Cathedral of Saints Simon and Jude, with the bishop of Phoenix, John P. Dolan, as the principal celebrant. On September 13, 2022, the Franciscans announced they would be withdrawing from the basilica, due to falling numbers of clergy and a national change in structure. The future administration of the parish is yet to be determined.

Gallery

File:InteriorSMB.jpg, Interior of St. Mary's Basilica File:BishopSMB 01.jpg, Bishop Thomas Olmsted celebrating Mass in the Basilica File:OLOG 1.jpg, Celebrations for the Feast of Nuestra Señora de Guadalupe outside the Basilica on December 12 File:Midnight Mass SMB 01.jpg, Christmas Midnight Mass at St. Mary's Basilica File:Palm sunday1.jpg, Palm Sunday Mass taking place outside Saint Mary's Basilica File:Holy Week1.jpg, Holy Week/Semana Santa services at the Basilica File:Organ1.jpg, Pipes inside the Basilica Organ File:Bells3.jpg, Latin inscription on the bell dedicated to the Immaculate Conception of the Blessed Virgin Mary File:Pope John Paul SMB 01.jpg, Pope John Paul II visiting St. Mary's Basilica in 1987 , Pope John Paul II visiting St. Mary's Basilica in 1987 File:WindowSMB 01.jpg, The Basilica Rose Window File:WindowSMB 02.jpg, Pipe Organ, Choir and Rose Window File:St. Mary's Basilica stained glass 17.jpg File:St. Mary's Basilica stained glass 18.jpg File:St. Mary's Basilica stained glass 19.jpg

References

External links

St. Mary's Official Website

Order of Friars Minor Santa Barbara Province Official Website

Order of Friars Minor Official Website

Roman Catholic churches in Phoenix, Arizona

Mary Mary may refer to: People * Mary (name), a feminine given name (includes a list of people with the name) Religious contexts * New Testament people named Mary, overview article linking to many of those below * Mary, mother of Jesus, also calle ...