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A twin-spired Gothic Revival cathedral in the heart of Savannah's Historic District, rebuilt after an 1898 fire and known for its ornate French-Gothic interior and rose window. It remains the seat of the Catholic Diocese of Savannah and one of the city's most photographed landmarks.
Private Tours Popular Pick
A full-day private tour covering the Historic District's landmarks plus a trip beyond the city to Tybee Island's lighthouse.
Private Tours
A private half-day tour pairing the Historic and Victorian Districts with the moss-draped grounds of Bonaventure Cemetery.
Visitor guide
The Cathedral Basilica of St. John the Baptist is a Gothic Revival church on East Harris Street near Lafayette Square, in Savannah's Historic District. It is the mother church of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Savannah, and its twin spires rise to about 214 feet. Pope Francis raised it to the rank of minor basilica in 2020.
Catholics were barred from the Georgia colony under its 1732 charter. By 1799 Savannah's Catholic community had bought a lot and built a small frame church dedicated to St. John the Baptist. A new brick church was begun in 1835 and dedicated on April 1, 1839, and when Pope Pius IX created the Diocese of Savannah in July 1850 it became the cathedral.
The present building was started when its cornerstone was laid on November 19, 1873, and it was dedicated on April 30, 1876. It was designed by Ephraim Francis Baldwin. Wikipedia notes that for a period it carried the name Cathedral of Our Lady of Perpetual Help; the Georgia Historical Society says it kept that name for ten years before resuming its original title. The spires were added in 1896.
On February 6, 1898, a fire gutted the interior. Rebuilding followed, with a first Mass reported in December 1899 and a formal rededication on October 28, 1900. The cathedral was consecrated in 1920 after the construction debt was paid.
Wikipedia describes the cathedral as the first brick church in Georgia and gives its height as 214 feet, with a roof height of 96 feet. It lists 81 stained-glass windows and 16 gargoyles, and notes the building used more than 90,000 copper nails and 45,000 slates. Those are single-source figures, so treat them as approximate. The windows installed in 1904 are described by secondary sources as coming from Austria-Hungary or the Austrian Tyrol, and accounts differ on details. Savannah artist Christopher Murphy designed the murals, though sources disagree on the number, and the murals and stained glass were restored during the major restoration of 1998 to 2000, which was carried out by Conrad Schmitt Studios of Wisconsin.
Other work includes a restoration under Bishop McDonough beginning in 1959, and a 1984 closure to replace rotting timber foundations. Wikipedia also reports a recent project to reinforce the spires with steel; check with the cathedral for the current state of any repair work.
The cathedral is an active place of worship, so visits are shaped by the Mass and event schedule, and visitors should dress and behave as in any church. Check with the cathedral office for current visiting arrangements. The building is within walking distance of Lafayette Square and other squares in the Historic District, which makes it an easy addition to a private tour; a driver and door-to-door pickup lets a group see the building and then move straight on.
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