Key West’s Basilica of Saint Mary Star of the Sea has had a presence here long before the area became the vacation center it is today. Storms, time and a devastating fire took a toll on the original building that was erected at the site in 1851. Its successor, built in 1904, stands proud and supports an active religious community. Visit Basilica of Saint Mary Star of the Sea, one of the country’s oldest parishes, which was established even before Florida was proclaimed a state.
The area has had a religious connection since 1566 when Spanish Jesuits first arrived on the Keys when Spain owned the territory. However, influence from Cuba possibly established the first short-lived parish in 1724. It wasn’t until 1820 that an organized Catholic community began to form, when religious layman Stephen Russell Mallory took up residency in Key West. A church was finally built in 1852 and named Saint Mary Star of the Sea.
The following decade was unkind to residents and clergy, with an outbreak of yellow fever. A group of the Sisters of the Holy Names of Jesus and Mary in Montreal, Canada, was sent to start a convent and school for girls. The school became very successful and stayed open until 1986, making it the longest-running Catholic school in Florida. The original Saint Mary Star of the Sea was destroyed by fire in 1901 and replaced by the current one in 1904.
Construction material came from local limestone deposits near the church, justifying its description as the first non-wooden Catholic building of worship in the southern part of Florida. Reflect on the pride parishioners and the community must have had when the basilica was named a National and State Historic Site in 1992.
Attend one of the Masses, at which visitors are welcome.
