Basilica of St. Stanislaus Kostka

Rising above Winona’s East End with a golden dome visible from across the Mississippi, the Basilica of Saint Stanislaus Kostka is one of Minnesota’s most breathtaking landmarks, and one of its most deeply human stories. In 1871, Kashubian Polish immigrants who had traveled from the Baltic coast of Prussia organized their own parish so they could worship in their own language and traditions. By 1895, their growing community had pooled its resources to construct a grand new church at the then-staggering cost of $86,000 — a testament to their faith, pride, and determination to put down roots in their new home.

Designed in the Polish Cathedral and Romanesque Revival style by the Winona firm of C.G. Maybury & Son, the basilica seats just over 1,000 and soars 125 feet from floor to dome; a dome that, legend has it, required blindfolded horses to haul materials up the construction ramp. Inside, marble pillars frame a nave adorned with stunning stained glass windows, each dedicated to saints and devotions especially cherished by the Kashubian Polish community, with inscriptions in Polish. The church withstood a lightning strike in 1966 and continues to stand as solidly as it did at its dedication on Thanksgiving Day, 1895.

The basilica’s significance extends well beyond its congregation. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1984, and in 2011, Pope Benedict XVI elevated it to a Minor Basilica of the Roman Catholic Church, an honor held by only two churches in Minnesota and fewer than 100 churches in the United States. Whether you come for the architecture, the history, or simply to step inside one of the Mississippi Valley’s most awe-inspiring spaces, Saint Stan’s, as locals affectionately call it, is a Winona landmark not to be missed.