The Shrine of Our Lady of Guadalupe is said to be one of the first major Catholic churches built in a classical manner in over fifty years. It is meant to be a place for the faithful to come on pilgrimage and to foster devotion to the Blessed Virgin under her title of Patroness of the Americas. In the tradition of pilgrimage churches, the Shrine is located high upon a hill outside of the city with a campanile and dome which is visible from afar. Since it is a place for prayer and pilgrimage, the Shrine is designed to accommodate flow and movement, with seating in the nave for the liturgy and large open side aisles for circulation and prayer. The Shrine is the vision of His Excellency Raymond L. Burke, Prefect of the Apostolic Signatura, and was solemnly dedicated on July 31, 2008. Read the dedication homily.
The interior of the Shrine is a cruciform domical church inspired by great Counter Reformation examples such as the Gesù, Sant’Andrea della Valle, and San Giovanni Battista dei Fiorentini in Rome. These churches represent the highest standard in sacred architecture and were designed by many of the same architects who worked on St. Peter’s in the Vatican. Monumental fluted corinthian pilasters and arches define the nave and give it a monumental scale worthy of a temple to the Lord. The glazed corinthian capitals symbolize the Mother of God and include cherubim who look toward the sanctuary. In between are symbols of Mary which are connected to the capitals with swags made of roses. The entablature above is inscribed with the names of the Virgin from the litany of Loreto such as Rosa Mystica and Regina Martyrum while her symbols are reflected in the stained glass windows below. Generous side aisles flank the nave and feature the six minor shrines dedicated to the Divine Mercy and St. Faustina, St. Maria Goretti, St. Peregrine, St. Gianna Beretta Molla, Blessed Miguel Pro, and St. Thérèse of Lisieux, placed to encourage specific devotion. Doric confessionals are placed in the side aisles immediately in front of the crossing. Ribs punctuate the vaulted ceiling while stained glass windows follow the life of the Virgin.
Images of four doctors of the Church, Saints Ambrose, Ephrem, John Damascene, and Cyril of Alexandria, who are known for their writings on the Blessed Virgin reside within the pendentives which support the dome with its eight clear windows. The frieze of the dome features an inscription in Latin from John 2:4–5:
Et dicit ei Iesus quid mihi et tibi est mulier nondum venit hora mea, Dicit mater eius ministris quodcumque dixerit vobis facite
[“O woman, what have you to do with me? My hour has not yet come.” His mother said to the servants, “Do whatever he tells you.”]
The dome is painted with blue and gold colors based on the sacred image. It shows the constellations as they appeared on December 9, 1531, the day that Our Lady of Guadalupe revealed herself to Juan Diego, while the lantern above has an image of the Trinity. Minor shrines with marble statues of St. Juan Diego and St. Joseph flank the sanctuary while the transept holds the major shrines of paired Composite columns dedicated to the Sacred Heart of Jesus and the Immaculate Heart of Mary.
The raised marble sanctuary is defined by an altar rail, steps and an ornamented archway. The focus of the sanctuary is a rosso francia marble and gold baldacchino surmounting the rouge du roi marble altar. The altar which is shaped like an empty tomb symbolizes the sacrifice of the mass as well as remembers the Ascension and the Assumption of the Holy One of God. Behind the altar is a five foot tall marble tabernacle above which is placed a reproduction made by the Vatican Mosaic studio of the miraculous icon of Our Lady of Guadalupe. The frame of the image is gilded in Mexican silver. A mahogany ambo with bas-reliefs of the four evangelists and tester is placed against one of the piers of the crossing while a life sized wooden crucifix hangs above the baldacchino. The bishop’s mahogany cathedra is raised and placed behind the ambo with the celebrant’s chair facing it on the opposite side of the sanctuary. The sanctuary frieze has the central prayer of the Rosary inscribed:
Ave Maria, gratia plena, Dominus tecum. Benedicta tu in mulieribus, et benedictus fructus ventris tui, Jesus. Sancta Maria, Mater Dei, ora pro nobis peccatoribus, nunc, et in hora mortis nostrae. Amen.
An ambulatory surrounds the apse and connects the sacristy and bishop’s vestry. The sacristy is a vaulted space with mahogany cabinets, gilded plaster moldings, Eucharistic iconography and a small shrine to St. John Vianney, patron of priests. The bishop’s vestry is a smaller version of the sacristy with a shrine to Bishop St. John Neumann, patron of Bishops. The narthex at the entrance to the Shrine has a trompe-l’oeil mural of the story of Our Lady of Guadalupe painted by Anthony Visco. The substantial choir loft, located above the narthex, features a classical organ case constructed from mahogany. In the lower level there is planned a crypt chapel with an oratory for spiritual lectures and prayer as well as a Hall of Honor for donors and a foyer with shrines to the blesseds of the diocese. All of the architectural elements and furnishings in the Shrine were designed specifically for this house of prayer including the pews, light fixtures, cabinetry, and sanctuary furnishings.
