Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception Upstairs

Continuing our visit to the Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception from yesterpost, here is an exterior picture showing the dome and the outer walls of the main level.

One side of the Basilica

The nave of the church is about 400 feet long and 100 feet high, giving it a breathtaking amount of space. The domes are even higher!

Nave

The main altar is on a raised platform called the chancel leading back into the sanctuary. 

Stairs to the main altar

Main altar viewed from the back right side

The free-standing canopy over the sanctuary altar is called a Baldachin.

Baldachin and altar

View of the nave from the back of the basilica

By the Baldachin is a papal umbrella though there is no sign identifying which pope (of the many who visited here) it is from.

Papal umbrella

Surrounding the Baldachin by the main altar are three apses dedicated to St. Joseph, Jesus, and the Blessed Virgin Mary. The Joseph mosaic depicts the foster father of the Lord and many different workers of whom Joseph is the universal patron.

St. Joseph Aspe

Yeah, that guy has a trash can

The main apse has Christ in Majesty, showing the apocalyptic vision of the Savior towering over the church. The visual is quite striking and dominates an already huge church.

Christ in Majesty

The third apse has Mary, the Mother of God, also in an apocalyptic scene. She is the woman of the Apocalypse, pursued by the dragon as her child is carried off to safety.

Marian apse

The Joyful Mysteries of the Rosary are depicted below Mary. My favorite is the Finding of the Child Jesus in the Temple. The one scholar looks so scholarly to me.

Mary and Joseph find Jesus in the Temple

Yeah, who hasn't seen this guy before?

In memory of the recently deceased Benedict XVI, there's a small display of his visit to Washington. He made a special visit to this replica of the statue of Our Lady of Altotting, a gift from the people of Bavaria. Benedict grew up there as the young Josef Ratzinger.

Benedict XVI was here

The church has several domes, the main one is the Trinity Dome, featuring the Blessed Virgin Mary, eighteen saints, four evangelists, two archangels, and the Three Persons of God.

Trinity Dome

The side aisles have many chapels. The chapel of Our Lady of the Rosary was donated by the Dominicans and has a relief of Mary with the Child Jesus surrounded by fifteen flames. The flames represent the fifteen mysteries of the Rosary (this was constructed before John Paul II added five more mysteries in 2002--not sure they can add another five!). 

Our Lady of the Rosary chapel

A favorite side chapel of mine is the Mother of Sorrows Chapel. This Slovak chapel depicts the Seven Sorrows of Our Lady, six on the walls and the seventh being the Pieta in the center on the altar.

A good place to pray your confession prayers

Another favorite chapel for me is the Our Lady of Guadalupe Chapel. People from all over the Americas stream in on the side walls to the central mosaic of the miraculous image from Juan Diego's tilma.

Our Lady of Guadalupe

I tried to take a picture of the organ in the back but all that came out was the huge bas relief called The Universal Call to Holiness. It shows various people drawn to the Holy Spirit.

Universal Call to Holiness

Not far from the Basilica is the Welcome Plaza to The Catholic University of America with a new sculpture called Angels Unawares. It is a second casting of by artist Timothy Schmalz, the first is displayed in the Vatican. 

The front of Angels Unawares

The back of Angels Unawares