Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception | Wikipedia audio article
Channel: wikipedia tts
Date: 2018-12-18

This is an audio version of the Wikipedia Article:
Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception


00:01:42 1 Architecture
00:03:26 2 History
00:03:34 2.1 Patronage of the Immaculate Conception
00:04:17 2.2 Construction (1920—1999)
00:07:02 2.3 Completion Phase (2000—2017)
00:09:15 3 List of Rectors
00:09:42 4 Photo Gallery
00:09:51 5 See also



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SUMMARY
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The Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception (Spanish: Basílica del Santuario Nacional de la Inmaculada Concepción) is a prominent Roman Catholic basilica and national shrine located in Washington, D.C., United States of America.
The shrine is the largest Catholic church in the United States and in North America,  and the tallest habitable building in Washington, D.C. Its construction of Neo-Byzantine architecture began in 1920 with renowned contractor John McShain while the Trinity Dome mosaic marked its completion on 8 December 2017. 
The basilica is the national and patronal Catholic Church of the United States, honoring the  Immaculate Conception as Patroness, accorded by Pope Pius IX in 1847. Pope Pius XI donated a mosaic rendition of the image in 1923. The shrine has merited several Papal visits namely the following:

Pope John Paul II raised the National Shrine to the status of Minor Basilica on 12 October 1990.
Pope Benedict XVI bestowed a Golden Rose on 16 April 2008.
Pope Francis who canonized Saint Junípero Serra, O.F.M. on 23 September 2015.The basilica does not have its own parish community, but serves the adjacent Catholic University of America,  the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops, and hosts numerous Masses for various organizations of the Church from across the United States. The basilica is not the cathedral church of the Archdiocese of Washington (See Cathedral of St. Matthew the Apostle).
The rector of the shrine is the Monsignor Walter R. Rossi.