United States

A National Historic Landmark on Park Avenue, St. Bartholomew’s Church is one of America’s greatest architectural ensembles—a Romanesque-Byzantine masterpiece by Bertram G. Goodhue whose monumental entrance, the Stanford White Triple Portal, stands as a singular work of art. Inspired by the 12th-century Abbey Church of Saint-Gilles-du-Gard in southern France, the portal unites architecture, sculpture and color in a composition unmatched in the United States.

Site History

St. Bartholomew’s Church was constructed between 1916 and 1930, with the design by Bertram G. Goodhue incorporating Stanford White’s earlier Triple Portal, originally created in 1901–1903 for the church’s former location on Madison Avenue. Commissioned by Alice Gwynne Vanderbilt and her daughter Gertrude Vanderbilt Whitney in memory of Cornelius Vanderbilt II, the portal features bronze doors made by celebrated sculptors Herbert Adams, Philip Martiny and Andrew O’Connor under the oversight of Daniel Chester French.

When the congregation moved to Park Avenue in 1918, Alice Vanderbilt financed the relocation of the entire portal, which Goodhue called “perhaps the most beautiful thing of its kind in America.” Stanford White’s creation profoundly influenced Goodhue’s design for the church, which features Romanesque arches, Byzantine domes and the dazzling marble and bronze of the portal.

Designated a New York City Landmark and a National Historic Landmark and listed on the National Register of Historic Places, St. Bartholomew’s remains an icon of the American Renaissance and a living testament to the cultural exchange between France and the United States.

About the Project

The red marble wainscoting—with its deep veining and reverse fluting—frames the portal’s central doorway. Its conservation, directed by Amanda Trienens, Lead Conservator and Principal of Cultural Heritage Conservation, will involve cleaning with nonionic detergent and laser methods, replacing unsound previous repairs and filling cracks to restore aesthetic and structural integrity.

This work builds on extensive studies conducted between 2017 and 2023 by the Columbia University Graduate School of Architecture, Planning and Preservation and Excelsior Art Services, with support from French Heritage Society and a National Park Service Save America’s Treasures grant. The project reflects best-practice conservation principles—minimal intervention, maximum retention of original material and long-term maintenance planning.

St. Bartholomew’s Church Today

As an Episcopal church in the heart of Midtown Manhattan, St. Bart’s is an inclusive, radically welcoming Christian community. Its commitment to the arts and beauty is reflected in its robust music program and stewardship of its historic building. In addition to regular services, the church offers a wide range of activities and ministries for children and adults of all ages.

The Basilica of Ste. Anne de Détroit dates back to 1701 when French explorer Antoine de la Mothe Cadillac and his ensemble of artisans, soldiers, and priests founded the Fort Pontchartrain du Détroit.

Site History

Among the first structures was a small chapel dedicated on July 26, 1701, the feast day of Sainte Anne. Although the earliest records were destroyed in a fire, a registry has been maintained since 1704 making Ste. Anne de Détroit the second oldest continuously operating Catholic parish in the U.S.

In 1818, the Basilica was forced to leave downtown Detroit and the new parish complex was built on the western edge of the city directly across  the river from its French daughter parish of Notre de l’Assomption in Windsor, Ontario. The five building complex was built in the hope that the linguistically-besieged community could better survive. The final structure features many artifacts from the original church. Among the items moved to the current building are the 1818 cornerstone, the altar in the chapel, the interior communion rail, the Beaubien Bell, and the statue of Sainte Anne and Mary. Also, the grisaille windows were removed from the earlier church and hold the oldest stained glass found in Detroit.

The basilica has been listed on the National Register of Historic Places since 1976. Former Consul General of France, Guillaume Lacroix, described the complex as “Detroit’s French Historic District.”

About the Project

The restoration of the carillon is the next step in the Basilica’s renovation efforts. It was installed in 1901 to mark the 200th anniversary of Cadillac’s arrival and founding of the Ste Anne de Détroit parish.

The eleven bells in the carillon were each given a proper name following the example of the bells of Notre Dame de Paris. The largest bell, named Sancta Anna, is inscribed with the names of the donors, including many prominent French families who founded Detroit. The second largest Bell, Sancta Maria, prominently includes the name of French-American architect Léon Coquard, who designed the Saint Anne de Detroit church in 1886.

The original mechanism controlling the carillon has not properly functioned for 50 years. The restoration efforts will include modernizing the carillon to function with new technology to control and program a large variety of tunes, controlled remotely by a smart phone. The audio reminder of the heritage of the Strait will resound across the strait symbolizing another step in the renaissance of the city of Detroit.

The Basilica Today

The parish has gone through many changes in its 300-plus years of history. The basilica stands today as an active parish, shrine, historical treasure and landmark in a revitalized, multi-ethnic, bilingual neighborhood.

One February 22, 2011, Pope Benedict XVI named Sainte Anne as the patroness of the Archdiocese of Detroit. In 2013, a building assessment was completed by the Archdiocese of Detroit with an eye toward a future restoration. On April 19, 2017, Archbishop Allen Vigneron decreed Ste. Anne Church to be the official Archdiocesan Shrine to Sainte Anne.

On March 1, 2020 Archbishop Vigneron announced that Pope Francis named Ste. Anne Church a minor basilica. The Basilica of Ste. Anne de Detroit is one of 89 churches in the United States, and only the third church in Michigan, to hold the title of minor basilica.