Basilique St. John the Baptist

The Basilica-Cathedral of St. John the Baptist in St. John’s, Newfoundland and Labrador is the metropolitan cathedral of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of St. John’s, Newfoundland and the mother church and symbol of Roman Catholicism in Newfoundland. The building sits within the St. John’s Ecclesiastical District, a National Historic District of Canada.

The Basilica-Cathedral was the largest building project to its date in Newfoundland history. Construction lasted from the excavation of the ground in May 1839, through the laying of the cornerstone in May 1841, until the completion and consecration on September 9, 1855. At this time, it was the largest church building in North America and remains the second largest church in Canada after Saint Joseph’s Oratory in Montreal and the largest cathedral church in Canada.

The Basilica-Cathedral is one of the few buildings in St. John’s to survive the Great Fire of 1892. On October 17, 2007, Bishop Martin Currie of the Diocese of Grand Falls was appointed archbishop of St. John’s. He assumed his position on November 30, 2007, and retired on 29 January 2019.