The Basilica of Saints Cyril and Methodius is a

Minor Basilica Basilicas are Catholic church buildings that have a designation, conferring special privileges, given by the Pope. Basilicas are distinguished for ceremonial purposes from other churches. The building need not be a basilica in the architectura ...

of the

Catholic Church The Catholic Church (), also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the List of Christian denominations by number of members, largest Christian church, with 1.27 to 1.41 billion baptized Catholics Catholic Church by country, worldwid ...

located in

Danville, Pennsylvania Danville is a borough in and the county seat of Montour County, Pennsylvania, United States, along the North Branch of the Susquehanna River. The population was 4,221 at the 2020 census. Danville is part of the Bloomsburg-Berwick micropolita ...

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within the Diocese of Harrisburg. It is primarily the convent chapel of the Sisters of Saints Cyril and Methodius at their motherhouse, Villa Sacred Heart.

History

The sisters built their chapel during the

Great Depression The Great Depression was a severe global economic downturn from 1929 to 1939. The period was characterized by high rates of unemployment and poverty, drastic reductions in industrial production and international trade, and widespread bank and ...

. The sisters were largely the daughters of European peasants and working-class immigrants. The people whose donations paid for the chapel were similar people who worked in coal mines, steel mills, factories, and farms. The

Romanesque Revival Romanesque Revival (or Neo-Romanesque) is a style of building employed beginning in the mid-19th century inspired by the 11th- and 12th-century Romanesque architecture. Unlike the historic Romanesque style, Romanesque Revival buildings tended t ...

chapel was dedicated on October 17, 1939. It was extensively renovated in 1989.

Pope John Paul II Pope John Paul II (born Karol Józef Wojtyła; 18 May 19202 April 2005) was head of the Catholic Church and sovereign of the Vatican City State from 16 October 1978 until Death and funeral of Pope John Paul II, his death in 2005. In his you ...

decreed on June 30, 1989 that Saints Cyril and Methodius chapel was elevated to the status of a minor basilica.

Architecture

The basilica serves as the chapel of the larger motherhouse complex. The interior walls are composed of travertine marble, the vaulted ceiling is covered with tiles, and the floors are composed of

terrazzo Terrazzo is a composite material, poured in place or precast, which is used for floor and wall treatments. It consists of chips of marble, quartz, granite, glass, or other suitable material, poured with a cementitious binder (for chemical bind ...

. The altar and baldachino are carved in marble and the pews are oak. The interior also feature life-size

mosaic A mosaic () is a pattern or image made of small regular or irregular pieces of colored stone, glass or ceramic, held in place by plaster/Mortar (masonry), mortar, and covering a surface. Mosaics are often used as floor and wall decoration, and ...

s of

Saints Cyril and Methodius Cyril (; born Constantine, 826–869) and Methodius (; born Michael, 815–885) were brothers, Byzantine Christian theologians and missionaries. For their work evangelizing the Slavs, they are known as the "Apostles to the Slavs". They are ...

Image Gallery

File:St_Cyrils_Danville_PA_Interior.JPG, Interior, main foyer File:St_Cyrils_Danville_PA_Rear.JPG, Exterior, basilica rear File:Jankola Library.JPG, Jankola Library

References

{{Roman Catholic Diocese of Harrisburg , state=collapsed Roman Catholic churches completed in 1939 Cyril and Methodius, Danville Roman Catholic Diocese of Harrisburg Roman Catholic churches in Pennsylvania Romanesque Revival church buildings in Pennsylvania Buildings and structures in Montour County, Pennsylvania 20th-century Roman Catholic church buildings in the United States