Basilica of Our Lady of Perpetual Help (Brooklyn)

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Entrance facade of the basilica
Side view

The Basilica of Our Lady of Perpetual Help ( English Basilica of Our Lady of Perpetual Help ) is a Roman Catholic church in the New York district of Brooklyn , United States . The parish church in the diocese of Brooklyn is, as in the case of Redemptorist churches, consecrated to the perpetual help of the Blessed Mother Mary under the invocation of Our Lady , it bears the title of a minor basilica .

history

Our Lady of Perpetual Help parish was founded in November 1892 by Bishop Charles Edward McDonnell in the Sunset Park area of ​​Brooklyn. The Redemptorists bought a large piece of land to build a church. The first community fair was held in a private home in 1893. On January 14, 1894, a wooden frame church was consecrated by Bishop McDonnell. The Redemptorists established the perpetual novena of Mary on May 6, 1894 in the parish. The following December the church was furnished with a copy of the miraculous image of Our Lady of Perpetual Aid from the Roman Church of the Savior and St. Alfonso Liguori . 

After the merger of Brooklyn with New York City and the better connection of the area to the parish in 1905, there was rapid growth. The construction of today's church began in 1907. The lower level was opened for services two years later, the upper church was completed in 1928. In 1969 Pope Paul VI gave the church . awarded the rank of minor basilica .

While the parish was shaped by Irish immigrants when it was first established, today it is also characterized by Spanish and Chinese language services. The basilica is also used for large diocesan services instead of the smaller St. Jacob's Cathedral Basilica . Major funeral services for the New York City Police Department and the New York City Fire Department are also held here.

architecture

The church was designed by the architect Franz Joseph Untersee from Boston in the neo-Romanesque style . It was built from granite and decorated inside in terracotta . The double church has two naves on top of each other in the style of the Basilica of San Francesco in Assisi , with the upper nave offering more space and being used on special occasions. The church, with its cruciform floor plan, is almost 80 meters long and 60 meters wide, which allows a capacity of 1800 visitors.

Web links

Commons : Basilica of Our Lady of Perpetual Help  - collection of pictures, videos and audio files

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ a b c d History of the parish (English)
  2. ↑ Basilica of Our Lady of Perpetual Help on gcatholic.org (English)
  3. ↑ Basilica of Our Lady of Perpetual Help (English)
  4. ↑ Marie Elena Giossi: Alumni Reunion Helps olph Celebrate Its 125th Anniversary. In: The tablet. November 9, 2017, accessed November 13, 2019 .

Coordinates: 40 ° 38 ′ 22.2 "  N , 74 ° 0 ′ 54.7"  W.