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 ''Downtown'' is a term primarily used in North America by English speakers to refer to a city's sometimes commercial, cultural and often the historical, political and geographic heart. It is often synonymous with its central business distric ...

Phoenix, Arizona. 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 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 since 1895. The current church was elevated to a minor basilica by Pope John Paul II in 1985. The oldest Catholic 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 Stained glass is coloured glass as a material or works created from it. Throughout its thousand-year history, the term has been applied almost exclusively to the windows of churches and other significant religious buildings. Although tradition ...

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, 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, 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 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 Emil or Emile may refer to: Literature *''Emile, or On Education'' (1762), a treatise on education by Jean-Jacques Rousseau * ''Émile'' (novel) (1827), an autobiographical novel based on Émile de Girardin's early life *''Emil and the Detective ...

of St. Louis. The

Stations of the Cross The Stations of the Cross or the Way of the Cross, also known as the Way of Sorrows or the Via Crucis, refers to a series of images depicting Jesus Christ on the day of Crucifixion of Jesus, his crucifixion and accompanying prayers. The station ...

, 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 , 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 = , ...

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 Gothic Revival (also referred to as Victorian Gothic, neo-Gothic, or Gothick) is an architectural movement that began in the late 1740s in England. The movement gained momentum and expanded in the first half of the 19th century, as increasingly ...

sketches by pastor Novatus Benzing. Upon request for consulting,

Franciscan Father , 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 = , ...

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 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

Pope John Paul II elevated St. Mary's to the rank of a minor basilica 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 A tintinnabulum (roughly "little bell" in Medieval Latin) is a bell mounted on a pole, placed in a Roman Catholic basilica to signify the church's link with the Pope. It consists of a small gold bell within a golden frame crowned with the papal ...

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

Clergy and staff

The basilica is staffed by the Franciscan Friars 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