Basilica Tour

In and near the piazza are the Mercy Convent and School and the Presentation Convent and School to the east, and the Basilica offices and Residence and St. Bonaventure's Boys' School, to the west and north.

St. John the Baptist is patron of the city and one of the patrons of the Basilica. This statue is 10 feet high, sculpted of pure white marble by Fillipio Ghersi in Carrara, Italy. It represents the saint preaching penance, holding a baptismal shell in his right hand.

In the centre of the piazza stands a marble statue of the Immaculate Conception, ten feet high, on a granite pedestal of about the same height. Erected in 1858 by the Right Reverend J.T. Mullock, it is the work of Irish sculptor, John Edward Carew.

 Located on the east side of the main steps of the Basilica is a marble statue of Saint Francis of Assisi, and of St. Patrick on the west side. Both statues, sculpted by John Edward Carew, are about 9 feet and mounted on granite pedestals. Early engravings of the Basilica show that at one time (c. 1878), both these statues were located on the free standing pedestals within the piazza, equidistant from each other and from the Immaculate Conception statue.

The church is built in the form of a cross, in the style of a Roman Basilica. It is 246 feet, 6 inches long, and 186 feet, 6 inches in the transept; the facade is 99 feet.

With the exception of the low side aisles, the Basilica is faced with cut limestone from Galway, Ireland. Dublin granite is used for the quoines, moldings, cornices, window-frames, and string and felt courses. The facade is flanked by two towers, 150 feet high. The nave and the transepts are each 52 feet wide, without including the pillars. The low side aisles, or "ambulatories," are 12 feet wide and open into the main building by a series of elegant arches.

The walls of the Basilica are ornamented with Corinthian pilasters, surmounted by a cornice 13 feet wide. The arches are also artistically decorated. The ceiling of the nave is flat, enriched with elaborate centrepieces and panels. The apse of the church is semi-circular and forms the choir behind the High Altar.

There are seven side altars in the Basilica, all ornamented with statuary. St. Andrew's Altar, an eighth alter once located in the apse, was removed in 1954 to make room for the Echo Organ.

Many architects played a role in the construction of the Basilica. John Philpot Jones of Clonmel, County Tipperary, Ireland, was actually responsible for the design. However, Bishop Fleming also visited Hamburg, Germany to consult a second architect, Ole Joergen Schmidt, who prepared the detailed plans and a scale model of the new church (a half inch to a foot). Bishop Fleming also hired Michael McGrath of Waterford, Ireland, to supervise the construction. Because of differences of opinion, the original builder was later replaced by James Purcell.

When consecrated on September 9, 1855, the Basilica's cost was placed at half-a-million dollars, principally raised by the fishermen of the country, an amazing testament to their enduring faith, and to the zeal of their Bishop and clergy.

The ceiling design, dating from 1903, consists of twelve raised panels in a circle at the intersection of the nave and the transept.  In 1903, the central circle contained figures of the apostles, and some of the panels had floral designs.

Between 1954-1955, the interior of the Basilica was redecorated for the Centenary Celebration. An ambitious example of the art of Church decoration, the work still inspires our admiration, although the original glowing colours have dulled slightly over the years. The entire ceiling was redecorated, and the twelve panels received elaborate floral designs with specially contrived decorations symbolizing sacred themes surrounding the life of the Blessed Virgin Mary. The large pendant drop at the central crossing, as well as the five smaller drops, were richly polychromed and embellished with a profusion of gold-leaf highlighting.

The extensive renovations carried out in the Basilica at that time were the work of the Rambusch Decorating Company of New York, who also designed the new lighting system.

The walls, pews and altar in this Chapel are made of white oak, while the tester, or canopy, is of walnut. The recessed Stations of the Cross are handcarved wood. There are four beautiful stained glass windows representing the Immaculate Conception, the Assumption of Our Lady, the Immaculate Heart of Mary, and Our Lady of Fatima. There is also a small organ.

This altar is faced with a slab of oriental alabaster, which is exquisite, antique and exceptionally rare. The ancient Egyptian quarries of this marble were rediscovered in the 180os by Ali Pasha of Egypt, who presented portions of the marble to Pope Gregory XVI. They were used to adorn the high altar of St. Paul's Outside the Walls in Room. A small quantity of the marble remained - of this, two slabs were brought to St. John's by Bishop Mullock to enhance the Basilica. The second slab was used to face the Sacred Heart Altar to the west of the High Altar.

The candelabra here, and on the Blessed Sacrament Altar, are ornately scrolled works in bronze and were a gift of the Altar Society in 1883.

In 1902, the entire Altar was moved back about seven feet to create a more spacious Sanctuary. At that time, the temporary wooden Altar top was replaced by a permanent marble slab, and this Altar was officially consecrated on February 7, 1903. A plaque commemorating this event was commissioned by Bishop Howley and is fixed to the left side of the High Altar . Translated from the Latin, the inscription reads:
To God the Greatest and Best

This High Altar

Dedicated in the name of John (the) Baptist

Having been removed to its proper position

Being rebuilt in better form

And adorned with a marble table
M.F. Howley, Bishop of St. John's, Newfoundland

Consecrated with solemn ceremony
In the eleventh year of his episcopate

Of our Salvation 1903

On February 7

During the renovations undertaken for the Basilica Centenary Celebrations in 1955, the central sculpture of the "Baptism of the Saviour," along with attendant sculpture, was removed. The middle section of the Altar table was also removed and, in the space left vacant, the Presidential, or Celebrant's, Chair was installed. The High Altar itself was partially rebuilt and the eight pillars and capitals now support a simple arch. The centre section of this structure is backed by a reredos. Attached to the central panel of the altar screen is a carved wooden figure of John the Baptist, made in Italy, circa 1950.

At the top of the arch above the Altar is a small carved shield bearing the Greek monogram for the word "Christ." This is one of the earliest symbols found in the catacombs in the 1st and 2nd centuries A.D., and is often placed on or over a Roman Catholic altar.

The marble supports at each end of the Altar bear mosaic inclusions. One represents the heraldic device of Pope Pius IX. The second melds the personal arms of Bishop Mullock and the heraldic device of the Franciscan Order.

The High Altar is adorned with a great, 7-foot crucifix and six candlesticks of gilt bronze, ornately decorated. The latter are about 5 feet high, and each has three Gothic niches, about 12 inches high, surrounding the shaft. Each niche contains a figure about 6 inches high, representing a saint. The candlesticks were made-to-order in France and were a gift of the Altar Society. Interspersed with six elegant urns, these seven items, with their intricate detailing, are fitting adornments, in keeping with the massive proportions of the great altar. They date back to about 1883.

The Tester, suspended by chains above the High Altar, was installed in 1955 to fulfill the new Liturgical requirements for elevating the Cathedral to the status of minor Basilica. The Tester measures eighteen feet by twelve feet and is richly gilt and polychromed. The underside depicts a dove, rays and stars, symbolizing the Holy Spirit. At the front of the Tester is a hand-carved, polychromed replica of the Metropolitan Coat-of-Arms.

It is fitting to note here the words of Bishop Mullock at the time of conscreation: "The High Altar stands apart at the intersection of the nave and transept ... the altar and tabernacle are faced with white marble, the rest is of Caen stone ... a Triumphal Arch, or Baldachin ... is surmounted by a group of angels bearing aloft the Cross, at a height of fifty-two feet from the floor of the Church. This canopy, or arch, is supported by eight monolithic columns of polished granite. Under the arch, on an elevated pedestal, is a colossal group of the Baptism of Our Saviour, executed by Carew, in Caen stone; by whom also are the group of angels, and the infantine angels, and a lamb ... the remainder of the carving was executed by W. Sullivan. Under the High Altar, which is open in front, is placed Hogan's ... "The Dead Christ.""

"The Dead Christ" has its own remarkable significance. In his will, Bishop Flemming bequeathed a sum of L600 for such a grand statue. His successor, Right Rev. J.T. Mullock, purchased the statue on one of his visits to Rome, and had it placed beneath the table of the High Altar on March 19, 1855. It has twice been moved to new locations, first in 1903 when the Sanctuary was expanded and then in the early 1970s when it was moved to its present position.

The statue is sculptor Hogan's masterpiece. It is an awesome and beautiful work of art, full of dignity and conveying the sense of the serenity which follows the acceptance of God's will and the peace which is a prelude to the glory of the Resurrection. Thorwaldsen, the great Danish master of statuary, claimed it proved Hogan was the best sculptor he left after him in Rome.

In the apse are five windows of English workmanship. Each window consists of three panels, the outer ones being ornamented with fancywork and monograms, while the centre panels each contain three figures, depicting altogether the twelve apostles, Our Lord, Our Lady and St. Joseph. Beneath the windows are paintings of scenes from the life of St. John the Baptist.

The other stained glass windows in the upper walls are of English, French and Irish workmanship. All the windows were the gifts of religious societies, or individuals, and mainly date back to the 1880's and the 1890's.

In the south wall of the Basilica, above the organ gallery, stands the most historically impressive of the stained glass windows, the Pallium Window. It was erected to commemorate the establishment of the Ecclesiastical Province of Newfoundland and the conferring of the pallium on Archbishop Howley on June 23, 1905.

The picture represents three great Prelates of the Church, vested in full pontificals. The central figure, wearing the pallium, is Archbishop Howley. On the Archbishop's right is Bishop McDonald of Harbour Grace, Newfoundland, who conferred the pallium. At the Archbishop's left is Bishop Neil McNeil of St. George's, Newfoundland.

There are over twenty-five figures in the window, including clergymen, dignitaries, altar boys, cross-bearers, etc. The outline of the High Altar forms the background, and an inscription across the window reads, in translation, "Commemorative of the Conferring of the Pallium, Juen 23, 1905."

At the bottom of the window are shown the Arms of the three Dioceses which form the Ecclesiastical Province.

The Window is from the workshop of M. Louis Koch of Beauvais, France, and was presented by the Society of the Blessed Virgin Mary.

The windows in the galleries and nave represent the following: In the East Gallery, North to South - The Nativity and the Presentation, St. Francis of Assisi, Queen of the Holy Rosary, St. Joseph, The Ascension.

In the East Nave, North to South - St. Luke, The Transfiguration, St. Joseph and the Child Jesus, The Annunciation, St. Cecilia.

In the West Gallery, North to South - Melchizedec, St. John the Baptist, St. Patrick, The Immaculate Conception, The Crucifixion.

In the West Nave, North to South - St. Patrick, St. Brigid, St. Francis Borgia, The Resurrection, The Sacred Heart appearing to St. Margaret Mary.

The stained glass windows to the east and west of the Pallium window depict St. Peter (east window) and St. Paul (west window).

Please note: The pallium is a narrow circular band of white wool about two inches wide, with two 12 inch pendants of the same material which hang, one over the front and one over the back of the wearer. Six black crosses are embroidered on the Pallium, one each on the front and back, one on each shoulder, and one on each pendant.The Pallium is specially woven in Rome from lamb's wool which has been blessed. The lambs symbolize Christ as the Lamb of God, and the Good Shepherd. The wearing of the Pallium is significant to the jurisdiction of the Metropolitan in his ecclesiastical province and is a sign of his union with the See of Peter. The Pallium is bestowed by the Pope, or his representative, upon the Archbishop. On an Archbishop's death, the pallium is interred with him.

The Blessed Sacrament is reserved on the Sacred Heart Altar. The tabernacle was installed in 1955. A Sanctuary lamp burns perpetually before the tabernacle, and the lamp hanging there now is a particularly beautiful one.

The pediment of the Mullock Memorial is adorned with a harp, crown, national emblems and floral decorations. In the centre is a niche with a statue of the Archangel with a trumpet, in three quarters relief, illustrating the inscription "Canet Tuba et Mortis Resurgent" ("The trumpet shall sound and the dead arise."). It is believed that Thomas Mullock is buried close by the location of the monument.