Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception
Located in Washington, D.C. · Website: www.nationalshrine.com/
Wikipedia
The Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception is a Catholic minor basilica and national shrine in Washington D.C. It is the largest Catholic church building in North America and is also the tallest habitable building in Washington, D.C. Its construction of Byzantine and Romanesque Revival architecture began on September 23, 1920.
The basilica is dedicated to the Blessed Virgin Mary as the Immaculate Conception, designated as the principal Patroness accorded by Pope Pius IX on February 7, 1847. Pope Pius XI donated a mosaic rendition of the image in 1923. It serves as the patronal church of the Catholic Church in the United States.
Pope John Paul II raised the National Shrine to the status of Minor Basilica via his Pontifical decree Clarum Constat Templum on October 12, 1990. At the shrine, Pope Benedict XVI bestowed a Golden Rose on April 26, 2008, and Pope Francis canonized Junípero Serra on September 23, 2015.