The Basilica of the Shrine of the Immaculate Conception, at 400 Michigan Avenue NE, is one of the ten largest churches in the world. Construction began in 1920 and was completed in 1959. The exterior architecture is Romanesque and the interior architecture is Byzantine. The Basilica cites several reasons for the decision to use those two styles, including the ability to construct the exterior and interior at different times, harmonization with the architecture of D.C., the fact that the Episcopal Washington National Cathedral is in the Gothic style, and the influence of the Archbishop of St. Louis, saying that the style “endeavors to bring God down to earth.”
The building has no steel supports, but is entirely constructed out of stone, brick, tile and mortar. This door is one of the three doors at the main entrance to the Basilica.