National Shrine of St. Francis of Assisi
- Year
- 1860
- Style
- Gothic
- City
- San Francisco, CA
The National Shrine of St. Francis of Assisi was dedicated as a parish church on March 17, 1860, in the Norman Gothic style, making it one of California's oldest churches outside the Spanish mission tradition. Early sermons here were given in Latin, Spanish, Italian, French, Chinese, and German to serve San Francisco's Gold Rush-era immigrant community.
the building
Rebuilt after 1906. The 1906 earthquake and fire fully destroyed the church's interior. The congregation rebuilt using the surviving exterior walls, including the twin campanile bell towers, and rededicated the church.
the style
Built in the Norman Gothic style, the church is one of the earliest examples of Gothic church architecture in California constructed outside the Spanish mission tradition.
More on Gothicsignificance
The church has been a San Francisco Designated Landmark (No. 5) since September 3, 1968, was declared a California Historical Landmark in 1972, and became the National Shrine of St. Francis of Assisi in September 1999; it also serves as a pro-cathedral of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of San Francisco.
nearby
- Sentinel Building
- Saints Peter and Paul Church, San Francisco
- International Hotel
- Coit Tower
- Fugazi Bank Building
- Colombo Building