Basilica of St. Lawrence

1905

Rafael Guastavino designed and built the church in 1905

The church was designed and built in 1905 by the Spanish architect Rafael Guastavino, with his fellow architect R. S. Smith and the Catholic community of Asheville. Guastavino is interred there. The architectural style is Spanish Renaissance Revival.

The dome

The elliptical dome spans 58 by 82 feet

The dome, inspired by the Royal Basilica of Our Lady of the Forsaken of Valencia, has a span of 58 by 82 feet. It is reputed to be the largest freestanding elliptical dome in North America.

58 by 82feet, the span of the elliptical dome

Inside

Statues from Italy, windows from Munich and an altar of Tennessee marble

The Daprato Statue Company made the statues in Italy. The high altar is made from Tennessee marble, and many of the stained glass windows were made in Munich, Germany. The altar of the chapel to the right and part of its apse wall are a mosaic of bits of tile assembled by Rev. Peter Marion and Rev. Patrick Marion, priests during the construction.

Recognized

A minor basilica since 1993, and a site of national significance in 2010

Pope John Paul II raised the church to a minor basilica in 1993. It is the only basilica in western North Carolina. In 2010 the National Park Service declared it a site of national significance for its architecture and engineering rather than its religious importance.

Repairs

Full restoration was put at 23 million dollars and 10 years

As of 2024 the Asheville Citizen-Times said the building had significant damage and was in urgent need of repair, with water leaks, falling masonry due to mortar problems and a copper dome that had reached its life expectancy. The parish raised 3 million dollars and the Basilica Preservation Fund received 1 million more, including 750,000 from the Save America's Treasures program.