Basilica of St. Mary

The Basilica of Saint Mary in the Old Town Old and Historic District, of Alexandria, Virginia, and is a minor basilica and parish church of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Arlington in Virginia. The Basilica of Saint Mary is the oldest Roman Catholic church in the Commonwealth of Virginia. It was founded in 1795 by the Very Reverend Francis Ignatius Neale, SJ, then President of Georgetown University, in present-day western Washington, D.C.On December 6, 2017, Pope Francis designated the parish church as a minor basilica. The decision was announced on January 15, 2018, and the basilica held its inauguration Mass on September 8, 2018.