Basilica of St. Francis Xavier - Dyersville, Iowa
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N 42° 29.068 W 091° 07.555
15T E 654026 N 4705269
The Basilica of St. Francis Xavier is located at 104 3rd St SW in Dyersville, Ia.
Waymark Code: WM8BNP
Location: Iowa, United States
Date Posted: 03/07/2010
Views: 10
From Wikipedia:
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There are two steeples which are 212 feet tall. The crosses are 14 feet tall. This helps make the church visible from several miles away. Pilots often use these steeples as landmarks during flights.
Dyersville was originally settled by English immigrants. Within a few years the English moved on. After that many German immigrants began to arrive in the area. A parish was founded in the area to serve these immigrants.
Shortly afterwards, the first Saint Francis Xavier Church was built in Dyersville, Iowa. For a number of years this church served the needs of the community. But by the 1880s, it became clear that with the increasing population of Dyersville and the surrounding area that the old church building would no longer be adequate.
A new church building was begun in the mid-1880s. The parish decided on a large Gothic architecture building in order to serve the increased population. The pastor at the time also had the foresight to have the altar placed upon a foundation of solid rock, which is one of the requirements for an altar to be consecrated. By 1888 the church was finished. When the building was dedicated, special trains brought people from all over the state of Iowa to witness this dedication. After the completion of the present building, the old church was converted into classrooms. It was later torn down after a new school was completed.
The move to elevate Saint Francis Xavier began in the 1940s. Then Father Hoffman, who had served in Europe began to advance the cause to Vatican officials. The cause was furthered when a high ranking German Cardinal, Konrad von Preysing, visited the church. In the mid-1950s the church building was consecrated. On the interior there are a number of small gold crosses on the side walls, marking the twelve places where the church walls were anointed with chrism when the church was consectated. Once consecrated a church building may never be used for any other purpose and only consecrated church can be elevated to the rank of a Basilica. Previously the parish had worked hard to attain and maintain a debt-free status, a preliminary requirement before a church can be consecrated.
In 1956 the parish was elevated to the rank of Minor Basilica by Pope Pius XII. This happened when the parish received a papal brief from the Vatican that proclaimed St. Francis Xavier as having the rank of Minor Basilica. A mass officially naming the church as a Basilica was held at a later date, this attracted crowds from all over the state, as well as many high ranking clergy.