Shrine of Our Lady of Guadalupe: Church

La Crosse, WI

The Shrine of Our Lady of Guadalupe Church is a place of beauty and reverence. Visitors arriving at Pilgrim Center on the base of the bluff walk up a quiet tree-lined processional trail. The winding path offers glimpses of the church’s bell tower and dome through openings in the forest. As the focal point of the 70-acre Shrine of Our Lady of Guadalupe complex, and in the tradition of pilgrimage churches, the Shrine Church is set on a cleared promontory and visible from afar. Arriving at the entry plaza, pilgrims see the Shrine Church nestled into the side of a bluff overlooking the Mississippi River.

The Shrine Church transcends the everyday and provides solace for the pilgrim. Crossing the entry plaza to the Shrine Church proper, composed of simple forms laid in local stone, the exterior is reminiscent of a Tuscan church.

Entering through bronze doors, the exterior gives way to an interior fitting for a high renaissance or baroque church. The interior seats 450 people with a sense of grandeur and impression of space beyond its physical dimensions.

The extraordinary interior ornamentation features an emphasis on quality and the integration of the arts, including painting and sculpture. The result is classic and timeless, a place of prayer which reflects the tradition of the Catholic Church.