Virtual Churches and Shrines

The Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception. The Basilica of the National Shrine in Washington, DC, was built to honor the Blessed Virgin Mary, whom Pope Pius IX named as Patroness of the United States in 1847. Here, on the basilica’s official Web site, you can take a "Virtual Tour" of the National Shrine during which you "visit" the church’s many altars, chapels, and oratories, each with its own special dedication. As you read the description of each, you will learn more about the many titles with which our Blessed Mother has been honored over the centuries.

The Web Gallery of Art: Guided Tours. This Web site offers a searchable database of over 8,500 images of European paintings, sculptures, and architecture, along with detailed information on the artists and architects who produced them. Among the tours offered in the site’s "Guided Tours" section are virtual visits to some of the great churches and chapels of Europe. Here you can tour the Sistine Chapel in the Vatican, with its frescoes by Michelangelo; study the works of Giotto in the Church of San Francesco in Assisi, the Arena Chapel in Padua, and the Church of Santa Croce in Florence; and view paintings by Masaccio, Masolino, and Fra Filippino Lippi in the Brancacci Chapel in Florence.

The National Shrine of Saint Elizabeth Ann Seton. Learn about the life and work of an American-born saint as you make an online visit to the Shrine Chapel in the Basilica of the National Shrine of St. Elizabeth Ann Seton and other historic buildings at the Seton Shrine in Emmitsburg, Maryland.