Cathedral Basilica of St. John the Baptist

Fun Facts

• When construction began in 1839, the Cathedral Basilica of St. John the Baptist was the largest construction projects in North America.
• Massive quantities of granite, limestone, and marble were shipped across the Atlantic from Ireland and Europe to build the Cathedral Basilica in St. John’s.
• The Cathedral Basilica features sculpture by Irish artist John Edward Carew, whose work also appears in London’s famous Trafalgar Square. Carew created The Death of Nelson relief on Nelson’s Column, one of the best-known monuments in the United Kingdom.
• One of the Basilica’s artistic treasures is The Dead Christ, an astonishing marble sculpture by Irish sculptor John Hogan, so lifelike that many visitors can hardly believe it was carved by hand in the 1800s.
• Before the Cathedral was even built, Bishop Michael Anthony Fleming commissioned fundraising coins showing what the future Basilica would look like, decades before construction was completed.
• The Cathedral Basilica may have helped inspire one of North America’s most famous churches. After visiting St. John’s, Bishop John Hughes of New York reportedly envisioned building a grand cathedral of his own, what would eventually become St. Patrick’s Cathedral.
• The Caqthedral Basilica was completed before Canada existed as a country.
• For generations, sailors entering St. John’s Harbour used the Cathedral Basilica’s twin towers as a landmark to help guide them safely toward the city.
• Some of the Cathedral Basilica’s stained-glass windows travelled from France to Newfoundland in the 1800s, crossing the Atlantic long before modern cargo ships or air travel.
• More than 180 years after the cornerstone was laid, the Basilica Block continues to welcome the public through concerts, exhibitions, tours, and cultural events stewarded by the secular nonprofit Cathedral Basilica Foundation.