Basilica of St. Peter and Paul (Lewiston)
The Basilica of St. Peter and Paul ( Basilica of Ss. Peter and Paul ) is a church in Lewiston, Maine and belongs to the Roman Catholic Diocese of Portland . Since 2004 it has had the rank of a minor basilica .
history
In the middle of the 19th century, the town of Lewiston received an influx of French Catholic Canadians who came to work in the textile industry. This also created a need for French-speaking priests . Initially, services were held in French in the basement of Saint Joseph's Church . As the number of French-speaking parishioners exceeded a thousand, masses were held in the nave of Saint John's from July 2, 1870 . From 1871 the growing number of parishioners was too large for that. In the following year, the foundation stone was therefore laid for St. Peter , which was consecrated in 1873 .
In 1881 the Dominicans of Lille and the Province of Québec took over the patronage of the church. The basilica was first mentioned in the Album Historique in 1899 , in which the Dominicans proclaimed the parish of S. Pierre S. Paul de Lewiston, Maine . In 1902 the parish was split up to establish St. Louis Church in Auburn across the Androscoggin River .
Even after the division in 1905, the community gained almost 10,000 members. The old church had to be demolished. The construction of the cellar vault of the new church was completed in 1906. In 1907 and 1923 the Diocese of Portland requested a new division of the parish and in 1907 the creation of the parish of St. Mary's, and in 1923 of the parish of the Holy Cross and the Holy Family .
Since every time the congregation was divided up, the money earmarked for the construction of the new church was also divided up, so there was a delay in the construction of the new church. It was not until 1933 that the Diocese of Portland gave permission to continue building the new church. The construction work was finished on July 18, 1936. On October 23, 1938 it was consecrated to Saints Peter and Paul .
On July 14, 1983, the house of God was added to the National Register of Historic Places as the second largest church in New England . In 1986 the Dominicans handed the Church over to the Diocese of Portland. From 1991 to 2002 the upper part of the church was renovated and a new altar was built. Then, from 2002 to 2007, the chapel under the church was renovated. It reopened just in time for Mardi Gras and the start of Lent .
Web links
- Website
- La Basilique Lewiston of the Maine Memory Network
Individual evidence
- ↑ a b History of Saints Peter and Paul ( Memento from July 5, 2008 in the Internet Archive )
- ↑ Reference number 83000447 on the National Register of Historic Places . National Park Service .
Coordinates: 44 ° 5 '53.4 " N , 70 ° 12' 44.5" W.