Basílica del Sacro Cuore di Gesù en Italia

In 1870, Pope Pius IX acquired land on Via di Porta San Lorenzo (now Via Marsala) with the intention of creating a church dedicated to Saint Joseph, declared patron of the Universal Church on December 8, 1870. This was a period in which a great movement of devotion to the Sacred Heart of Jesus took hold with fervor, particularly in France and Italy. Following the preaching of Father Antonio Maresca, a Barnabite widely followed by the faithful, Pope Pius IX modified his plan to dedicate the church to the Sacred Heart. That same year, the cornerstone of the new building was laid, but after the capture of Rome, work was soon interrupted. Ten years later, Cardinal Alimonda suggested that Leo XIII entrust the task of completing the basilica to John Bosco, a proposal approved by the Pope. The Piedmontese priest agreed on the sole condition of being able to create a boarding school and send the many poor young people in the neighborhood to school. In 1883, Cardinal Lucido Maria Parocchi blessed the choir stalls of the new church. In 1887, the structure was completed, and interior finishing work began. On April 20, 1887, Don Bosco made his final journey from Turin to Rome, and the Pope thanked him for his accomplishment. On May 14, 1887, the Church of the Sacred Heart was solemnly consecrated by Cardinal Vicar Parocchi in the presence of numerous civil and religious authorities. In 1921, Pope Benedict XV elevated the church to the rank of minor basilica. Pope Paul VI erected the cardinal deaconry of the Sacred Heart of Jesus in Castro Pretorio on February 5, 1965. #SacredHeartChurch #sacredheart