One of the places people recommended that we should visit in Milwaukee, Wisconsin was The Basilica of St Josaphat.
Built in the late 1800s, the church was built mainly for the city’s large Polish population. At the time, they were the second largest immigrant community in Milwaukee (the largest group was Irish immigrants).
The Basilica was built using materials salvaged from the demolition of the U.S. Post Office and Customs House in Chicago. The materials were transported ~100 miles north to Milwaukee by rail where local parishioners assisted in building their new church.
The Basilica of St Josaphat is open to visitors seven days a week. From Monday to Saturday, you can visit or take a tour between 9am and 4pm. On Sundays, you can go on a tour after the 10am Mass.
The entrance to the church is via the Pope John Paul II Pavilion. When looking at the front of the church, it’s off to the right with a statue outside.
It’s free to visit the church, although they have donation boxes at the visitor center which also contains a small gift shop. We were given a small leaflet providing some history of the building, then started looking around.
The lobby and a downstairs area had some displays providing more detailed history about the Basilica – its construction, the major cost overruns, when it was desginated a Basilica by Pope Pius XI and more.
Also downstairs was a small chapel that you’re able to look around as part of the tour.
My Grandad played the organ and I used to love playing it whenever we’d go to visit them, so organs always make me think of him.
After looking around the chapel, we made our way upstairs to the main church area. It’s visually stunning inside which isn’t too surprising given that more than $2 million was spent on interior restorations in 1997.
From the hand carved marble to the stained glass windows to the gold finishes and more, the Basilica of St Josaphat has a beautiful interior.
To be honest though, I felt a little conflicted walking around. There was beauty all around, but between the interior restorations, addition of the visitor center and exterior restorations, more than $7 million has been spent on the building over the last couple of decades.
When thinking about how much good that money could do in Milwaukee’s low income communities, it’s hard to justify so much expense just so that a building can look beautiful and shiny.
Final Thoughts
If you visit Milwaukee WI, we recommend visiting The Basilica of St Josaphat. It’s beautifully decorated inside – just try not to dwell on what else the money could’ve been spent on 😉
How beautiful. You have to remember that since this was built in the late 1800s the money has to be spent to keep it alive and in the condition that it was meant to be in. Thanks for sharing with us. This place is incredible. Love the altar to St Theresa.