Basilica Cathedral of St. John the Baptist

13th of September, 2009 The Basilica-Cathedral of St. John the Baptist was consecrated in 1855. The Cathedral is designed in the Lombard Romanesque style and is one of the earliest examples of this style of architecture in North America. The church contains many works of art including stained glass windows from France, England and Ireland, neoclassical sculptures, ornate polychrome ceilings and a massive pipe organ which includes 4050 pipes, making it the largest instrument in Newfoundland. In 1955, the Cathedral was designated a Minor Basilica by Pope Pius XII. In 1984 the Basilica was designated a National Historic Site, and in October 1988 was designated a Registered Heritage Structure. The Basilica Cathedral Museum is located in The Mullock Episcopal Library built in 1860. The library contains approximately 5000 volumes dating as early as 1524. With a thirty foot decorative ceiling and twelve nine foot bookcases, this library stands as an impressive backdrop for the treasures of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of St. John's. On display in the museum is a wide variety of furniture, liturgical vessels and vestments as well as other special items that tell the story of the Roman Catholic Church in Newfoundland.

Return to gallery layout

«»
HTML:
BBCode:

Visitstjohnsnl.com is the non-profit project meant for promoting St.John's, NL. It requires some time and financial investments to keep the website alive and updated. We would appreciate any donations big or small. Please help our city and province to develope!