National Register of Historic Places

St. Andrew's Roman Catholic Church

Roanoke (Independent City), Roanoke County, Virginia
Listed
May 6, 1973
Type
Building
Period
Industrial
Ref No.
73002225

About this property

The Basilica of St. Andrew, also known as St. Andrew's Catholic Church, is a historic Catholic church and rectory in Roanoke, Virginia, United States. It was built in 1900-1902, and is a buff brick church on a stone foundation in the High Victorian Gothic style. It has a cruciform plan and features two tall Gothic towers which flank the main entrance and are square in plan. On each tower are two small lancet windows, two large pointed-arch stained-glass tracery windows, and sets of double pointed-arch openings at the belfry. Also on the property is a rectory built in 1887. The church replaced an earlier small brick church built in 1883. The building cost $60,000 to construct, with another $40,000 budgeted for interior appointments and trim. "The buff brick edifice with stone trimming, designed by William P. Ginther of Akron, Ohio, would become a Roanoke landmark." It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1973. The church has had two major renovations since its completion. The first renovations took place after the Second Vatican Council authorized certain liturgical alterations. A freestanding altar was installed so that Mass could be celebrated versus populum, the priest facing the people. The ornate high altar was left in place and intact. Later, the original freestanding altar was replaced with a more ornate, marble one that remains in use to this day. At the same time the interior was radically modified to remove two side altars, a long altar rail, and a select portion of iconography. The lighting of the church was also renovated to allow a brighter hue. From 2010 to 2014, St. Andrew's saw its most expensive long-term renovation. The large pipe organ, being an object of much effort to maintain, was replaced with an electric organ. The pipes, however, were retained for decoration. In 2014, the steeples, originals from the construction of the church, were removed and renovated. On September 6, 2023, the Dicastery for Divine Worship and the Discipline of the Sacraments granted the title of minor basilica to the parish church.

Location

631 N. Jefferson St.
Roanoke (Independent City), Roanoke County, Virginia
37.27819, -79.94116

Categories

ARCHITECTURE
National Register nomination ›
Sources

Property data from the National Register of Historic Places, National Park Service (public domain).

Description adapted from Wikipedia under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.

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Nearby Historic Sites

Gainsboro Branch of the Roanoke City Public Library
Industrial
0.1 mi
Gainsboro Historic District
Listed
0.2 mi
Henry Street Historic District
Industrial
0.2 mi
Hotel Roanoke
Industrial
0.3 mi
Norfolk and Western Railway Company Historic District
Listed
0.3 mi

Questions about this property

When was St. Andrew's Roman Catholic Church listed on the National Register?

St. Andrew's Roman Catholic Church was listed on the National Register of Historic Places on May 6, 1973.

What type of historic resource is St. Andrew's Roman Catholic Church?

St. Andrew's Roman Catholic Church is classified as a building in the National Register of Historic Places.

What is the period of significance for St. Andrew's Roman Catholic Church?

The period of significance for St. Andrew's Roman Catholic Church is recorded as the industrial era.

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