| Summary: | Located in Mobile, the Cathedral-Basilica of the Immaculate Conception was consecrated in December of 1850, fifteen years after the first cornerstone had been laud. Father Michael Portier was the leader in the construction of the cathedral after being made the founding bishop of the Diocese of Mobile in 1829. Originally this diocese included all of Alabama and Florida.
The cathedral has gone through a series of enhancement and repairs over the years including in 1865 when the explosion of a magazine shop destroyed all of the plain glass windows in one of the walls and in 1954 when a fire collapsed the sanctuary floor, and the basement was flooded to stop the fire. In 1963, Pope John XXIII designated the Cathedral as a Minor Basilica. This designation is awarded based on several criteria including antiquity, historical, cultural, and artistic importance. On December 8th, 2004, the Cathedral celebrated the tercentennial of its establishment. A three-year plan for restoration was also completed at this point. Today the Cathedral offers daily mass and is open all day to everyone for private prayer.
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