In 1806, John Carroll was America’s first Catholic bishop. His family was instrumental in the founding of the United States, and Carroll had the further satisfaction of seeing work commence on the new nation’s first cathedral. Now known as the Baltimore Basilica, the church is the greatest masterpiece of Benjamin Henry Latrobe, early America’s preeminent architect.
Best remembered for designing the original dome of the nation’s Capitol building, Latrobe was in high demand at a time of prolific construction. Carroll’s task for him, if far from simple, was at least straightforward.
Washington was being created from the ground up just 40 miles outside Baltimore. Its most important architectural works were designed in the neoclassical style, which had become the unofficial architectural model of the new republic. Carroll wanted a cathedral to complement that project.
The exterior design Latrobe produced was primarily based on ancient Roman temples. Like Catholic churches, these were typically rectangular, deep from front to rear, and narrow from side to side. Front porticoes with Ionic-style columns and gabled roofs, all part of the Baltimore Basilica, were similarly standard.
A large dome that covers the sanctuary (and was possibly designed in collaboration with Thomas Jefferson) and twin spires at the front corners were built on that foundation. While these features aren’t generally found on Roman temples, the proportions and symmetry are exercises in pure classicism.
For the interior, Latrobe based his design on the standard arrangement of Christian churches—the basic cross shape formed by a central aisle leading to the sanctuary and two transepts.
Ready for use in 1821, the Baltimore Basilica wasn’t fully completed until 1863. Another 13 years would pass before it was consecrated by a man whose family would give the United States two presidents, Archbishop James Roosevelt Bayley.
