<P> The Rev. John F. Kirby was sent by Bishop Francis X . Gartland of the Diocese of Savannah to Key West in 1851 and established St. Mary Star of the Sea parish in 1851 . The first permanent Catholic Church on Key West was dedicated on February 26, 1852, on the corner of Duval and Eaton Streets . It was the fifth Catholic parish established in the state of Florida and the first parish in South Florida . Because of its location between the Gulf of Mexico and the Atlantic Ocean it was placed under the patronage of Our Lady, Star of the Sea . Rev. Anthony B. Friend, S.J. arrived in Key West as pastor on February 15, 1898 . He was the first many American Jesuits to serve the parish . </P> <P> Five Sisters of the Holy Names of Jesus and Mary from Montreal, Quebec, Canada arrived in 1868 to open a school for girls and to establish a convent . It is the first Catholic School in the state of Florida . The sisters bought the present school property in 1874 . The Convent of Mary Immaculate, later known as Mary Immaculate High School, operated from 1886 to 1986, St. Francis Xavier School for blacks operated from 1872 to 1961, a school for Cuban girls operated from 1873 to 1878 and St. Joseph School for boys operated from 1880 to 1961 . All the schools were integrated in the 1960s . </P> <P> The original church building was destroyed in a fire in 1901 . Until a new church could be built, Mass was celebrated in the convent music hall . The present structure was built in 1905 . The Jesuits ended their service to the parish after seventy - two years in 1970 and the Rev. Charles Zinn of Archdiocese of Miami became pastor . St. Mary Star of the Sea Church was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1971 as a contributing property in the Key West Historic District . In 1983 the Sisters of the Holy Names of Jesus and Mary ended their service in Key West after 115 years . The church was raised to a minor basilica by Pope Benedict XVI on February 11, 2012 . </P> <P> The exterior of the church reflects the eclectic period of American Victorian Architecture . It also shows elements of a modified, early Renaissance Revival style . This may be found in the rusticated walls, rounded arches and lunettes that are composed of transitional gothic arches, louvered shutters and colored glass . Many interior elements have both Romanesque and early Renaissance characteristics . Behind the altar is a stained glass window that depicts the church's patroness . </P>

Our lady star of the sea key west