The Catholic Church in the state of Alabama reaches as far back as European contact with native peoples during the May 1539 De Soto expedition into the southern interior. Following the expedition, Spanish Catholic missionaries would be the first to bring Christianity into North America. Mobile would later become the center of Alabama’s Catholic life when French Catholics first settled in the city. The center point of Catholicism in Alabama would become the Cathedral Basilica of the Immaculate Conception. Yet the cathedral was not always the beautiful and historic landmark that it is now.
Prior to the Cathedral Basilica’s construction, several churches would take its place. The beginnings of a church for the new settlement of Mobile came in 1703 with a survey of state. Local historical records from 1936 state, “[The] first church was built of logs and established in 1704 at Twenty-Seven-Mile Bluff on the right bank of Mobile River.” In 1793, a Spanish-era church would be built and subsequently burnt down in 1827. It was replaced by a wooden, then later a brick building. The fate of this church would be set in 1829 when the Diocese of Mobile was established, including all of Alabama and Florida. Work soon began on the Cathedral Basilica. Funding for the project would come from Catholics and non-Catholics in Mobile. Additional funds would be provided by the Society for the Propagation of the Faith, which is located in France. The creation of the Cathedral is credited in a large part due to Bishop Michael Portier. Bishop Portier, in addition to being the founding Bishop of the Diocese of Mobile, oversaw the construction of the Cathedral. In 1835 the first cornerstone was laid using the designs of architect Claude Beroujon. It would be 1850 when work was completed on the new structure, and it was dedicated as the Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception. It was not an easy task to create and sustain the structure.
The financial downturn of 1837 slowed the building of the cathedral. Then in 1865, a magazine explosion at the port destroyed all the glass windows from the Northern wall. In 1954, a large fire caused the floor of the sanctuary to cave in. During the effort to fight the fire, the basement would be flooded. As a result, significant repair work was needed to fix the heavy smoke, fire, and water damage. Over time many began to appreciate the Cathedral in new ways.
In 1962, praise came from the Vatican and Pope John XXIII, who designated the Cathedral as a Minor Basilica, due to its cultural and historic significance to the region. Of all the 3,391 cathedrals in the world, the title of Basilica (only able to be allocated by the Pope) has been bestowed to 1,881 of these churches. The Cathedral-Basilica of Immaculate Conception is only one of two in the state of Alabama today. Further significance of the Cathedral Basilica was recognized in 1980 when the Diocese of Mobile became the Archdiocese of Mobile. Since its construction, the Cathedral-Basilica of Immaculate Conception remains a center of Alabama Catholic worship, providing service to the poor, sick, elderly, laity, and all who call the archdiocese home. As one of the oldest churches in Alabama, and considered by many to be a an architectural marvel. It is an irreplaceable, historical treasure for the state.
Additional resources
- “Cathedral Basilica of the Immaculate Conception.” Encyclopedia of Alabama, 27 Mar. 2023, encyclopediaofalabama.org/article/cathedral-basilica-of-the-immaculate-conception/.
- “‘Cathedral of Immaculate Conception.’” CONTENTDM, digital.archives.alabama.gov/digital/collection/photo/id/19335/rec/56. Accessed 13 Apr. 2024.
- “The Cathedral-Basilica of the Immaculate Conception Historical Marker.” Historical Marker, 18 Aug. 2022, www.hmdb.org/m.asp?m=117245.
- “Works Progress Administration Church Records Survey for the Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception in Mobile, Alabama.” CONTENTDM, digital.archives.alabama.gov/digital/collection/wpa-religion/id/277/rec/30. Accessed 13 Apr. 2024.
About the author
My name is Nate Burton, I grew up in Mobile, Alabama but the Cathedral-Basilica did not always mean something to me the way it does now. I grew up and spent the first 18 years of my life in the city as a non-Catholic Christian before attending the University of Alabama at Birmingham. I decided to write about the Cathedral in Mobile as recently becoming Catholic I was able to appreciate it in a light I could not have before. Writing about the Cathedral was a great reason to learn more about the history of Mobile and about how the Cathedral came to be.
