Basilica of the Assumption

Elite '08

257

640

Wendy L.

San Francisco, CA

Church doesn't quite do the Basilica of the Assumption justice - it is a basilica after all.  After attending my friends' wedding rehearsal at the basilica, listening to the monsignor at the rehearsal dinner and then attending the wedding at the basilica, I feel like the basilica and I are close friends.

I'm still not entirely sure what the difference is between a basilica and a cathedral, but I know (or at least Monsignor Kenney says) that the Basilica of the Assumption is the oldest cathedral in America - the mother cathedral of America (built in the early 1800s).  My weekend in the Baltimore area was an educational one - I also learned that Maryland is the Catholic capital of the country.  

From the outside, the basilica doesn't look like it would be much - basic, gray.  But the basilica was renovated in the last decade or so, and it is gorgeous.  It has that new/old feeling because the place is sparkling, brand-spanking new, but it still retains some of the old charm (like the beautiful stained glass).  The inside of the basilica is this beautiful yellow color, buttery and warm with beautiful paintings on the dome.

One of the great things about the newly renovated basilica is that all of the facilities are renovated too - many and NICE, clean bathrooms.  There's a little gift shop next door for bottled water (I was quite parched).

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