{milwaukee} 3rd basilica in the u.s.
April 29, 2012
Completed in 1901 in a Romanesque style of architecture and patterned after the Basilica of Saint Peter in Rome, one of the places that was on our list of locations to visit in Milwaukee was the Basilica of Saint Josaphat, mainly because people online said that it was a pretty neat place. I’m glad we made time for it during our short trip in Milwaukee, I mean, how often do you get to visit Wisconsin’s first basilica (the U.S.’s third) and a city’s largest church? Named for St. Josaphat, an Archbishop in the Kingdom of Poland in the early 1600s, the basilica is an iconic part of the large Polish population that has resided and continues to reside in Milwaukee.
Some of the more interesting facts about the basilica include where the materials that the church is made of came from — salvaged materials from the Chicago Post Office and Customs House that were transported to Milwaukee on 500 railroad flat cars! And you most certainly know this is a true fact because some of the door handles still say Customs House on them! What a neat piece of history this church is!
A polish basilica photo adventure:
It looks like a lovely church. Doesn’t quite have the same beauty and power as Saint Peter’s. But it’s still wonderful.