A Visit to the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception – History, Art, and Marian Devotion

A Visit to the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception – History, Art, and Marian Devotion

By a.d. elliott | Take the Back Roads - Art and Other Odd Adventures

Dear Henry,

One of the most amazing things I did during my trip to Washington, DC, for the Hallow Summit was visit the Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception. Let me tell you all about it.

The idea for a national shrine dedicated to the Blessed Mother began in 1846, when the Sixth Provincial Council of Baltimore petitioned Pope Pius IX for permission to build one. Yet it would take almost 75 years before a stone was laid. In 1920, the land was blessed, and the foundation stone was laid by James Cardinal Gibbons, Archbishop of Baltimore.

Throughout the 1920s, construction progressed on the lower level under the direction of architects Maginnis and Walsh of Boston, with assistance from Catholic University of America professor Frederick V. Murphy. The crypt church was completed by the Charles J. Cassidy Company, and the first Mass was celebrated there on April 20, 1924. The Chapel of Our Lady of Lourdes followed, though it was not fully completed and dedicated until 1931.

Then the hardships of the Great Depression and World War II brought construction to a halt for nearly two decades.

“Never be afraid of loving the Blessed Virgin too much. You can never love her more than Jesus did.” —St. Maximilian Kolbe

Work resumed in 1954, again under the supervision of Maginnis and Walsh. Eugene F. Kennedy Jr. served as head architect, with John McShain Inc. completing the main upper-level structure. The Basilica was dedicated on November 20, 1959. The bell towers were constructed shortly after and consecrated in 1963; the final mosaics of the great domes were completed in 2005.

Unlike many shrines inspired by European cathedrals, this Basilica is completely unique, a blending of Romanesque and Byzantine styles built entirely of stone, brick, tile, and mortar. Its footprint covers roughly 130,000 square feet, and when combined with the upper and lower levels, it contains approximately 200,000 square feet of interior space. It is the largest Catholic church in North America and among the ten largest in the world.

And then there are the 80 chapels and oratories, most dedicated to the Blessed Mother. The Basilica also houses the largest collection of contemporary religious art in a single location, featuring mosaics, sculpture, bronzework, and architectural art that spans more than a century.

“Love our Lady. And she will obtain abundant grace to help you conquer in your daily struggles.” —St. Josemaría Escrivá

The National Shrine is a place of pilgrimage, not parish life, which means it hosts no baptisms or weddings. Instead, it offers prayer, Mass (four times daily, 365 days a year), and confession (four times daily except holidays). Special plenary indulgences are granted for visits on November 20, December 8, June 29, and October 12.

I wandered through twice, and even then, I missed so much. Some chapels were familiar, Our Lady of Lourdes, Our Lady of Guadalupe, Our Lady of Mount Carmel, but others were entirely new to me. Our Lady of Hostyn, Our Lady of Brezje, and Our Lady of Africa were all stunning, each with their own cultural story.

But the chapel that struck me most deeply was the one dedicated to Our Lady of La Vang, a devotion I hadn’t known before this visit. I returned to it several times; its color, symbolism, and tenderness stayed with me.

“Then He said to the disciple, ‘Here is your mother.’” —John 19:27

Despite my love for Marian art, two consecrations, and daily rosaries, I’ve always struggled with the idea of “Mary, Our Mother.” As the unwanted child of two addicts in a deeply unhappy marriage, I don’t have a healthy framework for parental love. “God the Father,” “Mary our Mother” — these relationships often feel foreign and unreachable.

But something in the Chapel of Our Lady of Sorrows helped untangle a knot I’ve carried for years.

In the Magnificat, Mary says that all generations will call her blessed, but her blessing came with pain. She endured scandal, poverty, displacement, fear, and loss. She lived through the agony of watching her son suffer a brutal and unjust death, not as a distant follower, but as a mother.

Seeing the reality of her life, not just the symbolism, gave me a glimpse of what it means to call her “Mother.” Her holiness didn’t erase suffering; it transformed it.

And that realization made this pilgrimage unexpectedly healing for me.

xoxo,
a.d. elliott

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a.d. elliott is a wanderer, photographer, and storyteller living in Salem, Virginia. 

In addition to her travel writings at www.takethebackroads.com, you can also read her book reviews at www.riteoffancy.com and US military biographies at www.everydaypatriot.com

Her online photography gallery can be found at shop.takethebackroads.com

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