Sun coverage: City Basilica restoration

Bells toll to commemorate basilica's ties to France

Bells rang 200 times on both sides of the Atlantic Ocean yesterday to celebrate the centuries-old relationship between France and the Basilica of the Assumption in Baltimore.

A spiritual home, reborn

Two years after closing for restoration, the doors of the Basilica of the Assumption swung open again yesterday, welcoming worshipers and visitors back into America's first cathedral.

Observations

Basilica restoration sheds light on original vision

Even a brilliant autumn day can't compete with the glorious natural light that illuminates the Basilica of the National Shrine of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary just days before its rededication.

Some preview refurbished basilica

Sunbeams flooded the nave and sanctuary of Baltimore's basilica yesterday during the first formal media tour of the nearly 200-year-old cathedral since it closed in 2004 for a $32 million renovation and restoration.

Restoration of the 1st U.S. Catholic cathedral to be celebrated in Nov.

When the great dome of Benjamin Henry Latrobe's cathedral first rose over the Baltimore skyline two centuries ago, it loomed as a bold symbol of a new liberty.

Hidden treasures

Perched on a scaffold 50 feet high, below the top of the dome of the Basilica of the Assumption, architect Stephen F. Reilly made a fist and tapped the wall.

Amid overhaul, Basilica to close for nearly two years

One of Baltimore's best known religious landmarks, the Basilica of the Assumption, will close to the public for nearly two years starting next month so workers can complete a $32 million restoration and modernization.