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Your readers should call 1-800-916-0040 (USA and Canada) or 1-314-421-1023 for a free copy of the Official St. Louis Visitors Guide or point, click and explore St. Louis online at www.explorestlouis.com
HEAVENLY ATTRACTIONS WELCOME VISITORS
Cathedral Basilica of Saint Louis
The beautiful Cathedral Basilica of Saint Louis welcomes visitors to view the largest collection of mosaic art in the world. Pope Paul VI called the structure "the outstanding cathedral of the Americas." Named a basilica in 1997, the cathedral was built in the city's Central West End neighborhood from 1907-1909. Its glittering green dome is a landmark on the St. Louis skyline and its vast and detailed interior mosaics cover 83,000 square feet and took nearly 80 years to complete. The mosaics of the main church and the vestibule were installed by a father and son who used more than 41 million pieces of tile in 8,000 shades to create their art. On the lower level of the cathedral, the Mosaic Museum traces the construction of the facility and the art and installation of the tiles. The museum is open daily from 10:00 a.m. until 4:00 p.m. The cathedral is open to the public from 7:00 a.m. until 7:00 p.m.
National Shrine of Our Lady of the Snows
America's largest outdoor shrine, the National Shrine of Our Lady of the Snows, is located just 15 minutes from downtown St. Louis in Belleville, Illinois. Founded in 1958, the Shrine is open to people of all faiths. The shrine's amphitheatre seats 2,400 people for special Liturgies and other events throughout the year. The Resurrection Garden, the Way of the Cross and the Annunciation Garden are popular stops during a visit to the Shrine. The Lourdes Grotto is a replica of the Grotto in Lourdes, France. Daily masses are held in the Church of Our Lady of the Snows. During the year, the Shrine hosts a variety of special events including Hispanic and African cultural celebrations, the Our Lady of the Snows Novena and the popular Way of Lights drive through holiday display, which tells the story of the first Christmas in hundreds of thousands of tiny, white lights. The shrine is open daily. Old Cathedral
After St. Louis was founded by French fur traders in 1764, one of the first buildings constructed in the infant town was a church. Built on the site of that first church in 1834, the Old Cathedral, known officially as the Basilica of St. Louis the King, sits near the base of the Gateway Arch on land that is now part of the Jefferson National Expansion Memorial. Inside the Old Cathedral Museum, visitors can see pieces of St. Louis' early history including the original church bell, religious art from the late 1700s, and the tomb of Bishop Rosati, builder of the Old Cathedral. From 1826 to 1843, the St. Louis diocese, headquartered at the Old Cathedral, covered nearly half of America, from Louisiana north to Michigan, from Kentucky west to Oregon and from Washington along the Canadian border to the Great Lakes. Pope John XXIII decreed the church a basilica in 1961. The Old Cathedral and the Cathedral Museum are open daily.
Museum of Contemporary Religious Art
The world's first museum of interfaith contemporary art is located in St. Louis on the campus of Saint Louis University. The Museum of Contemporary Religious Art (MOCRA) opened in 1993 in a chapel formerly used by priests who studied philosophy at the Jesuit university. MOCRA offers a unique setting for the display of its permanent collection and changing exhibitions. The museum, which is dedicated to the ongoing dialogue between contemporary artists and the world's faith traditions, is open Tuesday through Sunday from 11:00 a.m. until 4:00 p.m. Admission is free.
The Church of the Holy Family
Founded in 1699, the Holy Family parish was established by French priest Father St. Cosme who worked with two French laborers to build a log rectory and chapel. The original log church was destroyed by fire in 1783 and the first mass was offered in the current church in 1799. The church's construction is typical of the French Colonial vertical log style which used hewn walnut logs placed upright and leaning in from the base. The roof timbers are oak and the roof itself is made of cypress clapboards covered by sycamore. Wooden pegs were used in the construction instead of nails. The parish, located across the Mississippi River from St. Louis in Cahokia, Illinois, celebrates its 300th anniversary in 1999. Visitors can tour the church during daylight hours from Memorial Day through Labor Day. The church also is open for Mass each Sunday.
Shrine of St. Joseph
Located on the corner of 11th and Biddle on the near north side of downtown St. Louis, St. Joseph's church opened in 1846. The church was noted as the site of a miracle that saved the life of a dying man who was healed after kissing a relic of St. Peter Claver. The miracle was authenticated as one of two miracles needed to canonize the saint known for his work among the African people of the Americas. The central altar, called the Altar of Answered Prayers, was installed in 1867 after the parishioners asked St. Joseph to intercede and save them from a deadly cholera epidemic that swept the river city. The Italian Renaissance-style altar was designed to replicate the Altar of St. Ignatius at the Jesuit Gesu Church in Rome. Every third Sunday of the month, the choir sings the Mass in Latin in the Baroque-style church accompanied by one of the largest handmade Pfeffer tracker organs in existence. Annual events held at the site include the Shrine of St. Joseph Festival and the Feast of Corpus Christi in June.
Black Madonna Shrine
Described as a "galaxy of magnificent multi-colored rock grottos, the Black Madonna Shrine and Grottos outside of St. Louis was hand built by a single Franciscan brother. Visitors to the Shrine will see grottos dedicated to the Stations of the Cross, the Seven Joys of Mary, St. Francis, St. Joseph and much more. The grottos are constructed of Missouri rock, sea shells and even costume jewelry, which has been donated by visitors or sent from foreign missions. The outdoor Chapel of the Hills is constructed of mosaics and paintings of the Miraculous Image of Our Lady of Czestochowa, also known as Poland's Black Madonna. The Shrine is open from 9:00 a.m. until 7:00 p.m. each day.
Christ Church Cathedral
Designed in the 14th century English Gothic tradition, Christ Church Cathedral was completed in 1867. The parish was founded in 1819 as the first Episcopal church west of the Mississippi River. Tiffany stained glass windows and a massive carved marble screen behind the main altar are highlights inside the church. Concerts, organ recitals and artistic events are held at the cathedral throughout the year. Listed on the National Register of Historic Places, the Cathedral also has been designated as a National Landmark. Open daily.
Concordia Historical Institute
This museum, archives and library contains the world's largest collection of artifacts and information on the history of Lutheranism in America. The Institute traces its core collection to the arrival of Saxon Lutheran immigrants to St. Louis in 1839. Open weekdays for visitors who would like to view the collections, attend lectures or perform research from 8:30 a.m. until 4:30 p.m. daily.
Shrine of St. Rose Philippine Duchesne
Mother Philippine was the leader of a group of Catholic missionary Sisters of the Sacred Heart who founded the first free school west of the Mississippi. The log cabin school house opened in 1818. Artifacts of the original school and of St. Phillippine's missionary work with the Potawatomi Indians, along with other articles of the convent's religious and academic life also are on display at the museum. Tours include a walk through the historic 1835 convent, the museum and the beautiful chapel where remains of St. Philippine can be viewed. Mother Philippine, the fourth American saint, was canonized in 1988. The Shrine is open daily for visits and prayer from 9 a.m. until 4 p.m. Guided tours are available from 9:00 a.m. until 1:00 p.m., Tuesday, Thursday and Friday; Saturday from 10:00 a.m. until noon and 1:00 p.m. until 3:00 p.m. and Sunday from noon until 3:00 p.m.
Holy Family Chapel at the Motherhouse of the Sisters of St. Joseph of Carondelet
The largest single collection of religious relics in the United States found west of the Mississippi are on display at the Sisters of St. Joseph's chapel in south St. Louis. The collection includes the bodily remains of seven Christian martyrs - Saints Aurelia, Nerusia Euticia, Berenice, Berisimus, Discolius, Vincent and Aurelius. These whole body relics occupy prominent places in the beautiful 1899 Romanesque chapel. The body of child martyr St. Aurelia is encased in a waxen figure and clothed in a Roman tunic and mantle. The bones of seventy other martyrs of the early church, found in the Roman catacombs, are housed in the hand carved wood Martyrs' Altar that dates from the late 1880s. Tours are by appointment only.
The Sisters of St. Joseph were brought to St. Louis from Lyon, France in 1836 by Bishop Rosati because of their skills in teaching the deaf. The order opened a school for the deaf in St. Louis in 1837 which continues still the sisters' mission, operating as the internationally recognized St. Joseph's Institute for the Deaf.
MEDIA NOTE: For more information or photography of St. Louis, send an e-mail to pr@explorestlouis.com or call Becky Sharp at 1-314-992-0652. For up-to-date information about St. Louis, your readers should call the St. Louis Convention & Visitors Commission at 1-800-916-0040 or check out our website at www.explorestlouis.com. This news release is also available in electronic form. To obtain an electronic version, e-mail your request to pr@explorestlouis.com or go to St. Louis’ online media center at www.explorestlouis.com/media.
