A Brownstone Mother Church on Logan Square
The Cathedral Basilica of Saints Peter and Paul stands at the eastern edge of Logan Square, where 18th Street meets the Benjamin Franklin Parkway in Center City Philadelphia. Built of Connecticut and New Jersey brownstone and crowned by a great copper dome that has acquired a green patina over more than a century and a half, it is the largest brownstone structure in Philadelphia and the largest Catholic church in Pennsylvania. Open since 1864, it serves as the principal church of the Archdiocese of Philadelphia, the place from which the archbishop exercises his pastoral ministry over the surrounding local Church. Beyond its role as a parish for Center City residents, the basilica draws thousands of visitors each year who come for its sacred art, its music, and the shrines it houses.
Built in the Shadow of the Know-Nothing Riots
The Cathedral's story begins in the turbulent 1840s. By the early 1840s, anti-Catholic hostility in Philadelphia had hardened into organized violence. On May 8, 1844, crowds in Kensington attacked Catholic neighborhoods, burning St. Michael's Church and rectory, the convent of the Sisters of Charity, and the church, rectory, and library of St. Augustine's Church at 4th and Vine. Several people on both sides were killed, and only the arrival of the governor and some 5,000 troops quelled the riots.
It was against that backdrop that Bishop Francis Kenrick, the third Bishop of Philadelphia, began to plan a cathedral worthy of the city's growing Catholic population. He chose the names of Saints Peter and Paul for the new church, honoring the two apostles who share a feast day as founders of the church in Rome. On the feast of Saints Peter and Paul, June 29, 1846, Kenrick issued a pastoral letter asking the faithful for funds. He insisted that no construction begin until sufficient money was in hand, a discipline that ensured the diocese would not be crippled by debt but also guaranteed that the building would take decades rather than years to complete.
Eighteen Years, Three Architects, and One Copper Dome
The cornerstone was laid on the afternoon of Sunday, September 6, 1846, in the presence of some 8,000 people. The architect was Napoleon LeBrun, a 25-year-old Philadelphia-born Catholic whose parents had come from France. LeBrun had studied with Thomas Walter, the architect of the U.S. Capitol dome, and would later design the Metropolitan Life Insurance Company Tower in New York, one of the earliest skyscrapers. He modeled the Cathedral on the Lombard Church of San Carlo al Corso in Rome, working in the Neo-Classical style of the Italian Renaissance with its barrel arches, Corinthian columns, and triangular pediments.
According to a local tradition, the high placement of the basilica's windows, set only at the clerestory level, was decided by a workman throwing stones as high as he could, with the windows set just above that mark, a quiet architectural echo of the violence Kenrick wanted to forestall.
LeBrun left the project in 1851 over a disagreement with the bishop. John Notman, a respected Gothic Revival architect, took over, then departed in 1857 over a fee dispute. A third architect, John Mahoney, managed construction until LeBrun returned around 1860. Leadership of the diocese changed alongside the architects: Kenrick was elevated to Archbishop of Baltimore in 1851; his successor, Bishop John Neumann (later St. John Neumann), took up the burden in 1852; and Bishop James Wood completed the work after Neumann's death in 1860. Despite the Civil War and chronic funding shortfalls, Bishop Wood dedicated the Cathedral on November 20, 1864; it was formally consecrated in 1890.
The building measures roughly 300 feet long, 136 feet wide, and 101 feet 6 inches from pavement to apex of the pediment. The copper dome rises 156 feet 8 inches above the basilica floor, and the total height to the top of the 11-foot gold cross reaches 209 feet. The walnut pews seat more than 1,000, with room for nearly 1,500 using temporary chairs. Major renovations in 1914 to 1917 and again in 1956 to 1957, under John Cardinal O'Hara, reshaped the sanctuary by adding a semi-circular apse and the present-day main altar of Botticino marble. Pope Paul VI designated the Cathedral a minor basilica on September 9, 1976, in time for the canonization of St. John Neumann the following year.
Inside the Basilica: Marble, Mosaics, and the Great Organ
The interior decorations are largely the work of Constantino Brumidi (1805 to 1880), the painter known as the "Michelangelo of the United States Capitol." Inside the great dome, Brumidi's 1862 painting of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin presides over a tier of panel paintings called Angels of the Passion, surrounded by stained-glass windows depicting Mary holding the Child Jesus between Sts. Peter and Paul and the Doctors of the Church. The inscription behind the main altar reads, "Tu es Petrus et super hanc petram aedificabo Ecclesiam meam," the words of Christ to Peter in Matthew's Gospel.
Six massive Verde Imperial marble columns, each 40 feet tall and weighing more than 25 tons, frame the apse. Between them, three stained-glass windows by Connick of Boston picture the Eucharist at center, key moments in the life of St. Peter at left, and scenes from the life of St. Paul at right. A bronze inscription, "IHS," fronts the permanent altar, beneath a baldachin of antique Italian marble whose underside is a marble mosaic centered on a dove, the symbol of the Holy Spirit.
The 1976 establishment of basilica status brought two symbols of papal honor to the sanctuary: the umbraculum, a red and gold velvet "little umbrella" once used to shade the Pope, installed in 2011, and the tintinnabulum, a bell on a pole topped by the papal tiara and the Keys of Heaven, placed in the basilica in December 2013.
The Cathedral organ, at 75 ranks, 90 stops, and 4,648 pipes on four manuals and pedals, is among the largest in Philadelphia. The first instrument was built by John C.B. Standbridge in 1868, replaced in 1920 by Austin Organ Company's Opus 939, and rebuilt by Tellers Organ Company during the 1956 to 1957 renovations. A 1987 restoration added the ceiling-mounted Trumpet en-chamade; an 11-rank chancel organ by M.P. Moller sits in the sanctuary, and a third "echo" organ speaks from above. The richly ornamental walnut organ case, a design of Otto Eggers, has been featured in three editions of "The Contemporary American Organ."
Two large mosaic murals by Leandro Velasco of Rambusch Studios, installed in 1975, decorate the rear of the basilica: the north mural depicts people and events in the Church's involvement with Pennsylvania history, including George Washington at Old St. Mary's, Saint Katharine Drexel, and the Sisters of St. Joseph at Gettysburg; the south mural centers on the life and works of St. John Neumann.
The Shrine of Saint Katharine Drexel
In the north aisle of the basilica, a shrine honors a Philadelphia-born woman whose mission reshaped the American Catholic Church. Katharine Drexel was born on November 26, 1858, at 1503 Walnut Street, the second daughter of financier Francis Anthony Drexel and his wife, Emma Bouvier Drexel. Educated at home and tutored alongside her sisters Elizabeth and Louise, Katharine absorbed her parents' conviction that wealth was meant to be shared. Three afternoons a week, Emma opened the Drexel home to serve the poor; later, in Torresdale, the girls taught Sunday school to the children of employees and neighbors.
Katharine nursed her mother through three years of cancer, traveled with Bishop James O'Connor to Native American reservations in 1887 and 1888, and after her father's sudden death in 1885 began funding missions, schools, and churches for Black and Native American communities across the country. In 1889 she entered the novitiate of the Sisters of Mercy in Pittsburgh, taking vows on February 12, 1891, before Archbishop Patrick John Ryan as the first Sister of the Blessed Sacrament. Her sister congregation went on to found schools from Santa Fe to New Orleans, and in 1925 received a charter for Xavier University of Louisiana, the first Black Catholic university in the United States.
St. Katharine Drexel was beatified by Pope John Paul II in 1988 and canonized on October 1, 2000. Her sacred remains were translated from the Sisters of the Blessed Sacrament motherhouse in Bensalem to the Cathedral Basilica on August 2, 2018, and her tomb was solemnly installed on November 18, 2018, in a shrine that retains the original 19th-century Drexel Family altar donated by Katharine and her sisters as a memorial to their parents. The marble statue was carefully made from photographs to capture her true likeness. Each year, the Solemn Novena from February 22 through March 2 leads into her Feast Day on March 3.
Venerable Cornelia Connelly and the Holy Child Shrine
Next to the Drexel Shrine stands the Memorial to Venerable Cornelia Connelly and the Shrine of the Holy Child, solemnly blessed at the basilica on October 17, 2021. Cornelia Peacock was born in Philadelphia in 1809 into a wealthy Presbyterian family. After losing both parents by age 14, she married Pierce Connelly, an Episcopal preacher, and was baptized Catholic in New Orleans on December 8, 1835. Pierce eventually converted and was ordained a Catholic priest, asking Cornelia to embrace perpetual chastity so that he could pursue his vocation.
Rather than enter a cloistered life, Cornelia felt called at 37 to found her own order, the Society of the Holy Child Jesus, which she began in England at the urging of the pope and which later established its American province in Philadelphia. Pierce later renounced his priesthood and tried to reclaim her, waging a famous and damaging lawsuit, but Cornelia died at peace in 1879 with her order established and growing. Her cause for canonization remains open.
A Reliquary for Three Saints in the Baptistry
In the baptistry at the south side of the basilica, a single reliquary holds significant relics of three saints: St. Therese of Lisieux, marked by a golden rose, and her parents, Sts. Louis Martin and Zelie Martin, marked by lilies. The reliquary also contains the Martins' wedding rings, a pair uniting the relics of husband and wife. Created by French sculptor Fleur Nabert and commissioned by the Magnificat Foundation, the reliquary was presented to the Archdiocese of Philadelphia at the Magnificat Day of Faith in 2013. It was kept at the Discalced Carmelite Monastery in Oak Lane before finding its permanent home in the baptistry of the Cathedral Basilica in July 2024. Sts. Louis and Zelie, the first couple to be canonized together, share a feast day on July 12.
Mass Times Across the Week
Masses follow a steady rhythm through the week, all celebrated in the Cathedral Basilica unless otherwise noted.
Saturday: Anticipated Mass at 5:15 PM (basilica); 12:05 PM in the Cathedral Chapel, followed by the Miraculous Medal Novena.
Sunday: 8:00 AM, 9:30 AM, 11:00 AM (livestreamed), 12:30 PM in the Cathedral Chapel in Spanish, and 6:30 PM. The 11:00 AM Solemn Mass on the third Sunday of each month from October through May includes the sung Latin Propers and Ordinary of the Mass.
Monday through Friday: 7:15 AM and 12:05 PM, both in the Cathedral Chapel.
The Perpetual Novena to Saint Katharine Drexel is prayed each Thursday following the 7:15 AM and 12:05 PM Masses.
Reconciliation and the Spanish-Language Schedule
Confessions are heard in the Cathedral Basilica Monday through Friday at 11:30 AM, Saturday from 4:15 to 5:00 PM, and Sunday at 9:00 AM and 5:30 PM. The Spanish-language Sacrament of Reconciliation is celebrated on Sundays from 11:45 AM to 12:15 PM in the Cathedral Chapel and by appointment at 12:00 PM. Eucharistic Adoration in Spanish is observed on the first Friday of each month, beginning at 12:35 PM and continuing to 1:30 PM in the chapel after the 12:05 PM Mass.
Music at the Mother Church: Four Choirs and a 4,648-Pipe Organ
Music is woven into the daily life of the basilica. The Cathedral Basilica Choir sings at the 11:00 AM Mass each Sunday from September through June and at special liturgies; auditions are open to singers from across the region. The Archdiocesan Choir, an auditioned ensemble drawn from throughout the archdiocese, sings for major liturgies including the Chrism Mass and Ordinations, rehearses twice a month on Monday evenings, and presents a Requiem Mass in alternating years.
Children have a place of their own. The Cantus Angelorum Cathedral Children's Choir, directed by Danielle Molan, brings choristers from across the Archdiocese together for rehearsals two or three Saturdays a month and sings the Anticipated Mass on the second Saturday of each month. Children may audition beginning in third grade; the choir toured Rome in 2016 as part of the International Children's Festival for Epiphany and took part in the 2015 Papal Masses with Pope Francis at the basilica. Tuition for the year is $200.
Beyond the regular schedule, the choirs combine each year for an annual Christmas Concert, and the Cathedral hosts a free Cantate Domino Choir Camp every July for boys and girls ages seven to fifteen across the archdiocese, concluding with sung Evening Prayer in the basilica. The Cathedral also maintains a recommended repertoire for wedding liturgies, including standard processionals (Trumpet Voluntary, Canon in D, Jesu Joy of Man's Desiring), Marian pieces for a visit to the Altar of the Blessed Virgin (Ave Maria settings by Schubert, Bach-Gounod, and Caccini), and recessionals ranging from Purcell's Trumpet Tune to Walton's Coronation March. Only Cathedral Music Department musicians may perform at weddings.
Sacraments for Children and Adults
Infant Baptisms are scheduled one Sunday a month, usually the first Sunday at about 12:30 PM, immediately after the 11:00 AM Solemn Mass, and may be celebrated bilingually. A bilingual Baptism Preparation Session is held on the third Sunday of the month from 12:30 to 1:30 PM in the basilica or in the Neumann Room.
Sacramental preparation for First Holy Communion and Confirmation is offered to children of the Archdiocese in English and in a Spanish-English bilingual format, with English preparation on Saturday mornings and Spanish-bilingual preparation on Sunday mornings before the 12:30 PM Spanish Mass. Children are eligible for First Communion starting in second grade and for Confirmation in seventh grade. Sacramental celebrations take place at the 11:00 AM Solemn Mass.
For adults seeking to become Catholic or to complete their sacraments, the Order of Christian Initiation of Adults (OCIA) begins each September.
Reaching Out to the Poor
Outreach is named in the parish mission as one of its core works. On the second Sunday of each month, the Cathedral collects nonperishable foods and travel-sized toiletries for St. John Hospice on Race Street, an organization that provides food, clothing, and shelter to local homeless men and women. Each Thanksgiving weekend, the parish joins the annual St. Vincent de Paul Society Clothing Drive, with a GreenDrop truck accepting clean, usable clothing on the Saturday and Sunday of the holiday. Once a month, a second collection is taken up at Mass in place of a poor box to serve the needs of the local poor and homeless, and the parish maintains partnerships with Caring for Friends and other outreach efforts through its outreach coordinator.
Visiting: Tours, Parking, and Hours
The basilica opens its doors daily: Sunday 8:00 AM to 7:30 PM; Monday through Friday 7:00 AM to 5:00 PM; and Saturday 9:00 AM to 6:30 PM. Only the Cathedral Chapel is open on federal holidays.
Self-guided tour brochures sit next to the entrance of the Cathedral Shop, to the right of the main altar; a printable PDF and a downloadable audio tour (about twenty minutes) are also available. A guided tour is offered after the 11:00 AM Sunday Mass, gathering at the Side Altar of the Sacred Heart to the right of the main sanctuary, when no other events are scheduled. To arrange a private or group tour, or a pilgrimage to the Shrine of St. Katharine Drexel, visitors may contact the parish office.
Worshippers and visitors may park in the lot adjacent to the basilica on Saturdays, Sundays, and Holy Days using the entrance on 17th Street (GPS address 222 North 17th Street). Other options include the Gateway Parking Garage at Spring and 16th Streets and the Sheraton Hotel Parking Garage at 16th and 17th Streets. Three exterior entrances have ramps for wheelchairs, though only the door off the main parking lot has an automatic push button; Ambassadors and other helpers can assist with the remaining doors. Public transit riders can exit SEPTA's Broad Street Line at Race-Vine, walk from Suburban Station (a four-minute walk south), or take buses #2, #32, #33, or #38.
The Cathedral Shop, located inside the basilica to the right of the main altar, is open Wednesday from 10:30 AM to 2:00 PM, Saturday from 11:00 AM to 5:15 PM, and Sunday from 10:30 AM to 6:30 PM.
Becoming Catholic and Joining the Parish
Anyone interested in learning more about the Catholic faith is welcome to contact the parish office. The Order of Christian Initiation of Adults (OCIA) welcomes the unbaptized, baptized Christians from another tradition exploring Catholicism, and baptized Catholics who have not yet received First Communion and Confirmation.
Newcomers who live within the parish boundaries (Broad Street from Fairmount Avenue down to Market Street, west to the Schuylkill River, then around Logan Circle and back along the Parkway) may register after any Mass by speaking with one of the priests or by contacting the parish office. Those registered elsewhere must first obtain a letter of permission from their home parish before joining the cathedral parish. Children baptized at the Cathedral attend St. Francis Xavier School at 24th and Wallace Streets.
The cathedral parish also sustains a roster of lay ministries that keep its daily life running. Ambassadors, Greeters, Lectors, Altar Servers, Music Ministry, Ministry to the Sick, the Legion of Mary lay apostolic association, Catholic Charities Appeal volunteers, and the Welcoming Committee that calls each new family all share time and talent in service to the parish and to those who walk through the basilica's doors.