The Shrine Church
A Place to Encounter Christ
When the Mother of God appeared to Saint Juan Diego in 1531, she announced to him immediately the purpose of her heavenly visit. She wanted a Church to be built, in which, her children could encounter her Divine Son.
Pilgrimage to a Sacred Place
The interior of the Shrine Church is a cruciform domical church inspired by Italian examples such as Gesu, San Andrea della Valle, and San Giovanni Battista dei Fiorentini in Rome. Generous side aisles with shrines flank the nave, and major shrines to the Sacred Heart of Jesus and the Immaculate Heart of Mary are placed at the transept. Corinthian pilasters support a full entablature inscribed with the names of the Virgin Mary from the Litany of Loreto. Images of four Doctors of the Church reside within the pendentives which support the dome with its clear windows and oculus. The vaulted ceiling is punctuated by stained glass windows which follow the life of Our Lady.
Take a look inside
The raised sanctuary is marble and defined by an altar rail. The focus of the sanctuary is a red marble baldacchino surmounting a marble altar. Behind, a prominent mosaic of Our Lady of Guadalupe is placed above the tabernacle. The bishop’s cathedra is raised and placed behind the ambo with the celebrant’s chair across from it.
An ambulatory surrounds the apse and connects the sacristy and bishop’s vestry. The sacristy is a vaulted space with mahogany cabinets, plaster pilasters and moldings, Eucharistic iconography and a small shrine to Saint John Vianney. The bishop’s vestry is a smaller version of the sacristy with a shrine to Bishop Saint John Neumann.
Pilgrims come to the Shrine Church to receive God’s forgiveness in the Sacrament of Penance and to participate in Holy Mass. Through her beautiful image behind the altar, Our Lady of Guadalupe continues her vocation and mission of bringing Christ to us and bringing us to Christ.
“I want very much to have a little chapel built here for me, in which I will show Him, I will exalt Him and make Him manifest.”
– Our Lady of Guadalupe to Saint Juan Diego
Explore the Shrine
Timeline
- Construction Commenced: May 2004
- Construction Completed: July 2008
Construction Facts
- Area of the Main Level: 16,380 square feet
- Area of the Choir Loft: 969 square feet
- Length of the Nave: 147 feet
- Height of the Nave: 55 feet
- Interior Height of Dome: 100 feet
- Height of Baldacchino: 27 feet
- Number of Stained Glass Windows: 31
- Number of Confessionals: 3
- Number of Interior Shrines: 8
