Book Review: Basilicas by Grady Connolly

“Basilicas are churches formally designated by the pope as special places of pilgrimage because of their profound spiritual, historical, and cultural significance. While every diocese has a cathedral, a basilica stands apart as a living witness to the faith, sacrifice, and devotion of the community that built it. When approached with prayerful intentionality, even a brief visit to a basilica can become a genuine encounter with Christ and his Church.”

Blurb for Basilicas

Review:

One of my dream road trips is to visit notable churches across America, so this book immediately caught my eye. I didn’t even realize that there are multiple basilicas in my state! 

Basilicas is a beautiful guide to the basilicas located in the United States. Organized alphabetically by state, information about each church includes its history, breathtaking images of the interior and exterior, dedication and elevation dates, and other general information. Also included are major basilicas located in Rome. The book begins with a wonderful introduction, explaining the significance of visiting a basilica as well as the spiritual benefits in doing so prayerfully. 

So far, I’ve only been to two of the basilicas mentioned in this book (the Basilica of the National Shrine of Mary, Queen of the Universe and St. Peter’s Basilica in Rome). I love that this book leaves space for readers to log their visits to each church. I do wish that the locations covered North America as a whole, especially given that it includes a few locations in Rome. I would have loved to have seen the basilicas of Canada featured, particularly the Basilica of Ste. Anne de Beaupré, which is dear to my heart. A follow-up book, perhaps?!

A huge thanks to Ave Maria Press and NetGalley for providing a free digital ARC!

Likes & Dislikes:

What I liked:

• Gorgeous photographs. The interiors of some of these basilicas look so surreal!
• Love the addition of a visit log for the reader.

What I didn’t like:

• Again, it would have been great if this had covered multiple regions of North America, but I guess it would have made the book too long.

Afterthoughts:

This is a perfect book to give as a gift!

I would strongly recommend reading the physical copy of this book rather than the ebook edition for the full experience.

Where to buy the book: