Basilica

In 1846, a Massachusetts newspaper wrote of “a magnificent Catholic church [to] be built at Washington, D.C. after the manner of the great cathedrals of the Old World.” Now, over 170 years later, the Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception (we thought Basilica might be a catchier name) is the tallest habitable building in D.C., the largest Roman Catholic church in North America, and one of the ten largest in the world. Since its completion in 1961, the Basilica has hosted three popes, nearly one million annual visitors, and holds the largest collection of contemporary ecclesiastical art in the world. So, unless your allegiance lies with medieval ecclesiastical art, you’ll probably support this name change too.