National Shrine of St. Elizabeth Ann Seton- Emmitsburg, MD

Tucked away in the tiny town of Emmitsburg, Maryland stands a surprisingly substantial shrine to the first American born saint, Elizabeth Ann Seton (1774-1821). In 1805, Seton, a young New York Episcopalian widow and mother, converted to Catholicism. In 1809, she moved to Emmitsburg at the invitation of the Sulpician Fathers, and established a religious community dedicated to the care of the children of the poor; this would be the first congregation of religious sisters in the United States, as well as the country’s first free Catholic school. Today, this site is home to a Basilica, as well as the order’s original farmhouse and school.

Completed in 1965, the brick and stone Mediterranean Revival/ Italianate Basilica was originally designed as a chapel for the Daughters of Charity. The magnificent interior includes intricate mosaics, stunning stained glass, rose marble wainscoting, and a soaring dome at the crossing of the Nave and the Transept. Otherwise traditional, the Basilica is topped with a mid-century modern cross.

In 1968, Seton’s remains were moved from the charming 1841 Gothic mortuary chapel in the adjacent St. Joseph’s cemetery, to a small copper casket located beneath an alter in the Basilica; in 1975, she was canonized by Pope Paul VI. In 1991, the shrine’s chapel was designated a Minor Basilica by Pope John Paul II. As unexpected as the Cathedral of the Plains, it’s a spectacular space inside and out.