Basilica of Our Lady of Walsingham
| Basilica of Our Lady of Walsingham | |
|---|---|
| "Chapel of Saint Catherine of Alexandria" | |
"The Slipper Chapel" | |
Front entrance of the 14th-century Slipper Chapel | |
Basilica of Our Lady of Walsingham | |
| 52°52′52″N 0°51′12″E / 52.88112°N 0.85331°E | |
| Location | Houghton Saint Giles |
| Country | England |
| Denomination | Catholic Church |
| Sui iuris church | Latin Church |
| Website | walsingham.org.uk |
| History | |
| Status | Active |
| Founded | 1340 |
| Architecture | |
| Functional status | National Shrine |
| Heritage designation | Grade I listed |
| Designated | 6 March 1959 |
| Architect | Thomas Garner |
| Style | Gothic Romanesque |
| Clergy | |
| Bishop | Peter Collins |
| Rector | Robert Billing |
The Catholic National Shrine and Basilica of Our Lady, at Walsingham, is actually located one mile outside Walsingham, at Houghton Saint Giles, Norfolk, England. It incorporates both the historic Slipper Chapel, built around 1340, and the more contemporary Chapel of Our Lady of Reconciliation, completed in 1982 and its surrounding grounds The Slipper Chapel, originally known as the Chapel of Saint Catherine of Alexandria, was the last chapel on the pilgrim route to the Priory of Our Lady of Walsingham. The entire site was elevated to the special status of a Minor Basilica by Pope Francis in 2015.
In 1934, the venerated Marian image of Our Lady of Walsingham was translated from the Our Lady of the Annunciation Church in King's Lynn to the Chapel of Saint Catherine of Alexandria (Slipper Chapel), which has served as a Catholic National Shrine and a focal point of Marian devotion since that year. On 15 August 1954, Pope Pius XII granted a canonical coronation to the venerated image of the Blessed Virgin Mary under the title of Our Lady of Walsingham, which remains enshrined within the Slipper Chapel and continues to be a site of Marian pilgrimage.