A Visit to St. Andrew’s – The (Soon to Be) Basilica of the Blue Ridge in Roanoke, Virginia
Roanoke, Virginia, has one of the most beautiful Catholic churches I’ve ever seen, and soon, it will likely be elevated to the dignity of a minor basilica. Let me tell you all about it.
The story of St. Andrew’s began before Roanoke was even a city. In the early 1880s, the little settlement of Big Lick had only one Catholic resident. That changed with the arrival of the Shenandoah Railroad in 1881 and the influx of Irish Catholic workers who came to build it.
In 1882, Father John W. Lynch, assigned to the parish of St. Patrick’s in Lexington, Virginia, was also tasked with ministering to Catholics across six counties: Rockbridge, Alleghany, Bath, Botetourt, Craig, and Roanoke. The first Mass in Roanoke took place that November, celebrated in passenger car No. 6 of the train.
Soon after, the fledgling congregation began meeting at Rorer Hall on 3rd and Campbell Streets until a generous land developer, J. B. Austin, offered Father Lynch his choice of two plots from his holdings. Father Lynch chose a hilltop overlooking downtown, and a small brick chapel was built there.
“The Apostle Andrew teaches us to follow Jesus with promptness, to speak enthusiastically about Him to those we meet, and especially to cultivate a relationship of true familiarity with Him, acutely aware that in Him alone we can find the ultimate meaning of our life and death.”
— Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger (Pope Benedict XVI)
From those humble beginnings, the parish grew rapidly. The eight-pew chapel soon proved too small, and in 1887 a rectory was built. By 1893, the parish added the St. Vincent Home for Boys and an auditorium, thanks in part to a donation from philanthropist Thomas Fortune Ryan.
In 1897, construction began on the magnificent church that stands today. The parish hired architect William P. Ginther of Akron, Ohio, who designed a twin-spired High Victorian Gothic structure in tan brick and sandstone imported from Ohio.
The church was completed in 1900, featuring a white marble altar, communion rail, and a series of 15 breathtaking stained-glass windows crafted by the Franz Mayer Company of Munich, the same artisans behind the windows in Tulsa’s Holy Family Cathedral and the Osage Nation’s Church of the Immaculate Conception in Pawhuska, Oklahoma.
Over the years, St. Andrew’s has undergone several renovations. In 1947, artists from Yonkers, New York, added intricate stenciling and frescoes. After Vatican II, the sanctuary was updated with a freestanding blue marble altar, ambo, and celebrant’s chair, and the altar rail was removed. The most significant renovation took place between 2010 and 2014, when the termite-damaged spires were rebuilt, lighting was modernized, and the historic pipe organ was replaced with an electric one (the original pipes remain for visual splendor).
St. Andrew’s is also home to 17 relics, including fragments of the True Cross and relics of St. Andrew the Apostle, St. James the Greater, St. Matthew, St. Mark, and St. Nicodemus, who, like St. Joseph of Arimathea, risked much to ensure Christ’s honorable burial.
“And He said to them, ‘Follow me, and I will make you fish for people.’ Immediately, they left their nets and followed Him.”
— Matthew 4:19–20
In many ways, St. Andrew’s has always served as a cathedral for western Virginia, given the distance to Richmond’s Cathedral of the Sacred Heart. In the fall of 2022, the parish petitioned the Vatican for elevation to minor basilica status, submitting extensive documentation about its history, architecture, and spiritual life.
If approved, St. Andrew’s will become not only a basilica but a pilgrimage destination, and a potential host for conferences and retreats, especially given Roanoke’s accessibility by plane, train, and highway. The Historic Hotel Roanoke and the Amtrak station are within walking distance, though the hill climb to the church remains a penance in itself!
Basilica or not, St. Andrew’s is already one of Roanoke’s crown jewels, a place where art, history, and holiness converge on a Blue Ridge hilltop.
*Check out the YouTube video tour here: https://youtu.be/jWxydvhTZc0
PS - The Vatican approved the request to elevate St. Andrew's to a minor basilica - the Blessing and Installation of the Basilica Insignia Mass (which I was lucky enough to attend) was on December 3, 2023.
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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
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