History
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Renovations through the Generations
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Sts. Peter and Paul Parish in Chattanooga was founded in January 1852, when Father Henry V. Brown—a Presbyterian convert—became the first pastor. Catholics in Chattanooga met for Mass in a number of buildings from the early 1840s through the parish’s early years until 1890, when the current building on Eighth Street was dedicated. The former buildings included a nearly completed stone church demolished in 1863 by the occupying Union Army, which used the stone for fortifications and culverts.
Irish priest Father William Walsh was appointed pastor in 1887 and immediately made plans for a new church. Ground was broken Feb. 1, 1888, and the church was dedicated June 29, 1890. Then–pastor Father George Flanigen, in his 1952 history of the parish, described the building as an “imposing Gothic structure of brick and stone, 165 feet long by 75 feet wide, seating 1,000 persons.” The church was likely inspired by England’s York Minster cathedral, he wrote. Older photos of the church show its original 174-feet-high twin towers, “surmounted by 100 crocketed pinnacles and turrets,” in the words of Father Flanigen. Crumbling sandstone trim, however, led to the parish’s decision to remove the towers in 1939. The east tower, which houses the church bells, was shortened to its current height, and the west tower was removed.
The church’s stained-glass windows, designed by renowned artist Louis Comfort Tiffany, depict significant events in the lives of the parish’s patron saints. St. Peter’s life is depicted in the east-side (left) windows and St. Paul’s life in the opposite windows. The nave of Sts. Peter and Paul Church also has 14 polychrome Stations of the Cross, whose scenes depict Christ’s suffering, death, and burial. The French artist who created the Stations “is said to have spent 17 years in designing them and three years in producing a model to satisfy him,” according to an 1892 Chattanooga newspaper article.
Sts. Peter and Paul is the mother parish of many East Tennessee parishes. The first Chattanooga parish created from Sts. Peter and Paul territory was Our Lady of Perpetual Help, in 1937. The church underwent a $300,000 face lift in 1997 and 1998, when the ceiling vaults were painted, the Tiffany windows cleaned, the Stations of the Cross refurbished, and damaged areas repaired. In 2006 the church sent its then–70-year-old Kilgen organ to a firm in McDonald for repairs. Longtime organist Russell Goode—named a “Chattanooga Living Legend” in 2007—has held the position as the parish’s principal organist since 1960. On Oct. 24, 2010, Bishop Richard F. Stika dedicated the Emma Strahle “Bootie” Varallo Parish Hall, a $1.151 million project named for a lifelong parishioner. The parish hall was developed from the church’s 9,100-square-foot lower level, previously used for storage. Father George E. Schmidt Jr. is in his 25th year as pastor of the downtown parish, which is more than 600 families strong. Father Schmidt is among some 30 sons of the parish who went on to the priesthood.
In 2011, the church was elevated to a minor basilica by Pope Benedict XVI, and Father Schmidt was installed as its first rector. Fr. J. David Carter was installed as the second rector in November 2014.
Since being named a minor basilica, in 2016, the aging rectory of Sts. Peter and Paul was renovated. In 2018, the Basilica sanctuary and nave underwent a restoration project which was finally completed in 2019. This project included the installation of a newly crafted altar with Sequatchie blue marble top from a local quarry; the addition of a hand-carved reredos behind the two side altars, with niches to display the Basilica's newly acquired relics; the removal of the carpet and installation of wood floors in the sanctuary. Two surprise developments were made possible during the project: the restoration of the original 1890 heart pine floors in the nave and vestibule; and the uncovering of two alcoves in the vestibule that had been obscured by an earlier renovation. At the conclusion of the project, the Basilica pipe organ, which is the oldest still in use in Chattanooga and prized by the local community, was finally completed, with the installation of the final two ranks of pipes that were planned in its original design. The renovations were funded by parishioner donations to the HOME Campaign and restoration fund.Learn More
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Servant of God Fr. Patrick Ryan
Father Patrick Ryan, pastor of Saints Peter and Paul's parish from 1872 to 1878, was a shepherd who gave his life in ministering to his flock. He died a martyr's death in the yellow fever epidemic of 1878 when he was only 33 years old.
Learn about the life and the Cause for Sainthood of Fr. Patrick Ryan.
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Watch VIDEO of the Stations of the Cross prayed at the Basilica, following Liguori Way of the Cross program
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Photo Albums
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The Basilica Organ -
the oldest playing in Chattanooga,
fully completed Easter 2019
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Altar Dedication December 23, 2018
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