1909 Spanish Renaissance Revival basilica with a freestanding tile dome; its Spanish architect Rafael Guastavino is entombed inside
97 Haywood Street, Asheville, NC 28801
Age
All Ages
Cost
Free
Free; donations welcomed. Active Catholic basilica with public hours outside services.
Access
Wheelchair OK
Active urban church with accessible sanctuary entry; some side chapels include steps.
Equipment
Photos OK
Est. 1909 · Largest freestanding elliptical tile dome in North America · Rafael Guastavino entombment · Spanish Renaissance Revival architecture · Elevated to minor basilica by Pope John Paul II (1993)
The Basilica of St. Lawrence was designed by the Spanish architect Rafael Guastavino in collaboration with R.S. Smith and the Asheville Catholic community. Construction began in 1905 and was completed in 1909. The building is a major American expression of Spanish Renaissance Revival, drawing inspiration from the Royal Basilica in Valencia, Spain.
The basilica's most celebrated feature is its self-supporting tile dome, which spans 58 by 82 feet and is widely cited as the largest freestanding elliptical dome of its type in North America. Guastavino had developed and patented the layered timbrel-vault tile system used here in the 1880s; his work also appears in the Boston Public Library, the Registry Room at Ellis Island, and the Oyster Bar at Grand Central Terminal.
Rafael Guastavino died in 1908, one year before the basilica's completion. At his request, his son honored the architect by entombing him within the basilica. His crypt is located in the Chapel of Our Lady, in the rear-left corner of that chapel. Some accounts add that his wife and daughter were later interred with him.
Pope John Paul II elevated St. Lawrence to the status of minor basilica in 1993, recognizing its architectural and religious significance. The church remains an active Catholic parish.
Sources
According to Asheville Terrors, US Ghost Adventures, and 828 News NOW reporting, many in Asheville believe Rafael Guastavino's spirit lingers in the Basilica of St. Lawrence. The Spanish architect died in 1908, one year before completion of the church he designed; his son honored his wishes by entombing him within the Chapel of Our Lady, where his crypt remains.
Reported phenomena cluster around the sanctuary and dome: distant organ music said to play when no one is at the instrument, cold spots in otherwise warm interior spaces, lights flickering with no one near switches, and footsteps echoing through the dome and sacristy even when the church is locked. Some accounts add disembodied voices throughout the building.
Tour-operator lore introduces a second figure — a former priest said to have died on the grounds — though the priest's identity and the circumstances of his death are not independently documented in the regional press. The Guastavino-haunting tradition, by contrast, is anchored to the architect's verified entombment in the chapel and has been treated as the basilica's principal ghost story for decades.
Notable Entities
Media Appearances
Visit the 1909 Spanish Renaissance Revival sanctuary, including the 58-by-82-foot freestanding elliptical tile dome — reported as the largest of its kind in North America — and the Chapel of Our Lady where architect Rafael Guastavino is entombed.
The basilica's exterior is a regular stop on Asheville haunted walking tours, where guides recount the Guastavino burial-in-place story and the priest folklore tied to the building.
Every HauntBound history is researched from documented sources. We clearly separate verified historical fact from paranormal folklore.
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