The Cathedral Basilica of St. Joseph in San Jose

The Cathedral Basilica of St. Joseph is a historic Catholic church in Downtown San Jose that serves as the cathedral for the Diocese of San José in California. It is a minor basilica named for Saint Joseph, the patron saint of the Catholic Church and the namesake of San Jose. The building features an Odell pipe organ built in 1886 by the J. H. and C. S. Odell Company in Yonkers, New York, which is the only such instrument surviving in its original condition in the United States.

The site's history dates back to 1803 with the first non-mission parish built in California, San Jose de Guadalupe. After the original adobe structure was damaged by earthquakes in 1818 and 1822, businessman Antonio Suñol donated land in 1835 for a new, larger adobe church. Suñol and his brother-in-law Antonio María Pico oversaw the construction of this second church, which was completed and consecrated in 1846. In 1842, Suñol had petitioned the Bishop of the Californias for religious vestments and relics for the building.

The third church, begun in 1869, was destroyed by fire in 1875. A temporary fourth church was built nearby while the fifth and current church was being constructed. The current building was dedicated by Joseph Alemany, Archbishop of San Francisco, in 1877, with the portico completed in 1884 and the large dome finished in 1885. A major renovation began in 1981, and the church was elevated to a cathedral in 1985. It was made a minor basilica by Pope John Paul II in 1997, replacing Saint Patrick Proto-Cathedral Parish as the cathedral of the diocese.

Sources: Wikipedia, OpenStreetMap, Wikidata, Wikimedia Commons