Welcome to America’s First Cathedral, the Basilica of the National Shrine of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary, in Baltimore, Maryland. In addition to our rank as a Co-Cathedral of the Archdiocese of Baltimore and as a Minor Basilica, the church is also a National Shrine, Marian Shrine, and National Historic Landmark,  and we welcome all to visit and worship in what Pope John Paul II referred to as “the worldwide symbol of religious freedom.”