page_title: Basilica of St. Francis Xavier, Dyersville
section_title: History
hierarchical_section_title: Basilica of St. Francis Xavier, Dyersville / History
caption_attribution_description: English: Basilica of Saint Francis Xavier (Dyersville, Iowa), interior, detail of flower pattern on walls 2
context_page_description: The Basilica of St. Francis Xavier is a parish church in the Archdiocese of Dubuque located in Dyersville, Iowa, United States. The church was named in honor of the missionary Saint Francis Xavier. It was raised to the status of a Minor Basilica in 1956. The church and rectory were listed together on the National Register of Historic Places in 1999.
context_section_description: Dyersville was originally settled by English immigrants.  Within a few years the English moved on, and many German immigrants began to arrive in the area.  A parish was founded to serve these immigrants in 1859.  The first St. Francis Xavier Church was completed in 1862.  The parish grew quickly and the church had to be doubled in size by 1869.  By 1880, it became clear that with the increasing Catholic population of Dyersville and the surrounding area, the old church building would no longer be adequate.
  A new church building program was begun in the mid-1880s. The parish decided on a large Gothic Revival style building in order to serve the increased population.  Dubuque architects Fridolin Heer, Sr. and his son Fridolin Heer, Jr. designed the church.  The priest at the time, Anton Kortenkamp (1834-1889), also had the foresight to have the altar placed upon a foundation of solid rock, which is one of the requirements for an altar to be consecrated.  Construction was begun in 1887, and the cornerstone was laid on June 3, 1888.  The new church was dedicated by Bishop John Hennessy on December 3, 1889.  When the building was dedicated, special trains brought people from all over the state of Iowa to witness the ceremony.  It cost approximately $100,000 dollars to build the church.  After the completion of the present building, the old church was converted into classrooms.  It was later torn down after a new school was completed.  Electric lights were added to the church in 1904.
  The interior of the church is decorated with a number of paintings and frescoes.  Much of this work was done by Milwaukee artists Clotilda and Alphonse Brielmaier from 1904 to 1905.  Work to either touch-up the original frescoes or to partially cover some of them was done in 1930 and 1955.
  The rectory was built to the west of the church in 1935. The 68-by-66-foot (21 by 20 m) brick residence contains 14 rooms.  The rooms are a combination of private living space and offices. A. J. Osterhaus Construction of Dyersville was the contractor who built the rectory.  A garage and a passageway connects it to the Basilica.
  The move to elevate St. Francis Xavier to a minor basilica began in the 1940s.  Then-Father Mathias M. Hoffman, who had served as a military chaplain in Europe in World War I and World War II, began to advance the cause to Vatican officials.  The cause was furthered when a high ranking German Cardinal, Konrad von Preysing, visited the church.   In the mid-1950s the church building was consecrated.  On the interior there are a number of small gold crosses on the side walls, marking the twelve places where the church walls were anointed with chrism when the church was consecrated.  Once consecrated a church building may never be used for any other purpose and only a consecrated church can be elevated to the rank of a Basilica.  Previously the parish had worked hard to attain and maintain a debt-free status, a preliminary requirement before a church can be consecrated.
  On May 11, 1956 the church was elevated to the rank of a Minor Basilica by Pope Pius XII.  It was the twelfth church in the United States to receive this honor.  A mass officially naming the church as a Basilica attracted crowds from all over the state, as well as many high ranking clergy.
  An addition was made to the south side of the Basilica in 1989.  It contains a handicapped elevator, restrooms and access to the basement of the Basilica.
  In the mid-1990s, the parish began to offer a Tridentine Mass at 12:00 p.m. on Sundays.  This mass is either said or sung in Latin according to the 1962 Rite.  At other times the Noon Mass is offered in Spanish.
  The interior of the church was refurbished from 2000 to 2001.  The paintings and frescoes were cleaned.  Other frescoes that were hidden under coats of paint were restored.  The Baldacchino, the main altars, the side altars, and the statues were cleaned and restored.  This was possible due to a gift from a parishioner.
caption: Wall fresco details
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