Religious Sites

While Washington, D.C., may not be regarded as a religious center for the country, it has several significant religious buildings and sites that reflect the cultural and religious diversity we have as a nation. Many of the sites, like the National Cathedral, are national in their use and function.

Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception
(202) 526-8300
400 Michigan Avenue, NE, Washington, DC 20017

Hours and Admission
No admission charged, donations accepted.
Groups of 15 or more are asked to make a reservation.
Guided tours are offered Monday-Saturday at 9am, 10am, 11am, 1pm, 2pm, 3pm Sunday at 1:30pm, 2:30pm, 3:30pm.
No tours are offered on Thanksgiving or December 25.
Information on mass and other services can be found on the Shrine's website.

This important Catholic shrine dedicated to the patron saint of the United States, located on land donated by Catholic University, was consecrated in 1959. It has an architecture mix of Romanesque and Byzantine.

George Washington Masonic Memorial 
(703) 683-2007
101 Callahan Drive, Alexandria, VA 22301

Hours and Admission
Open daily 9am-5pm
Guided tours available daily at 9:30am, 11am, 1pm, 2:30pm, 4pm
Admission charged
Groups of ten or more are asked to make a reservation two weeks in advance.

The Memorial is located in Alexandria, just a few miles from Mount Vernon. It stands atop Shuters Hill on King Street. This memorial was built to honor George Washington, who is the pre-eminent member of the Masonic fraternity.

House of the Temple (Scottish Rite of Freemasonry)
(202) 232-3579
1733 16th Street, NW, Washington, DC 20009

Hours and Admission
Open Monday-Thursday, closed Friday-Sunday
June-August: 9am-4pm
September-May: 10am-4pm
No admission charged
Groups of ten or more are asked to make an advanced reservation.

The House of the Temple, a Masonic temple modeled after the Mausoleum at Halicarnassus (one of the Seven Wonders of the World), is located in the Adams-Morgan section of Washington, DC. This is considered the first public library in the city. Displays include artifacts from Burl Ives, Robert Burns and J. Edgar Hoover.

Islamic Center of Washington
2551 Massachusetts Avenue, Washington, DC 20008

Hours and Admission
Times for prayers can be found on the mosque's website.

When it opened in 1957, the Islamic Center of Washington was the largest Muslim place of worship in the Western Hemisphere. Many high-profile dignitaries, including several presidents, have visited the mosque.

Washington, DC Temple, Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints
Temple and Visitors' Center
(301) 587-0144
9900 Stoneybrook Drive, Kensington, MD 20895

Hours and Admission
Visitors' Center 10am-9pm daily
No admission charged for visitors' center
LDS-issued credential necessary for entrance to the Temple.

This landmark, which features regularly in traffic reports in local news, is a six-spire building of Alabama white marble. It was completed in 1974. The temple is only open to credentialed members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, but an on-site Visitors' Center features interactive exhibits and videos along with a reproduction of the Christus statue. The Visitors' Center also hosts frequent concerts and lectures throughout the year.

St. John's Episcopal Church
(202) 347-8766
1525 H Street, NW, Washington, DC 20005

Hours and Admission
Monday-Friday 9am-3pm
Tours are offered Sundays immediately following an 11am service
Tours are offered after a 10:30am service, June to Labor Day weekend
No admission charged

This small yellow building on 16th and H Streets, NW, just across Lafayette Park from the White House, is known as "The Church of Presidents." From 1816 to the present, every person who has served as President of the United States has attended a regular or occasional service. Pew 54 is the President's Pew.

Washington National Cathedral
(202) 537-6200
3101 Wisconsin Avenue, NW, Washington, DC 20016

Hours and Admission
Monday-Friday: 10am-5:30pm; Tours begin at 10:15am
Saturday: 1-am-4:00pm; Tours begin at 10:15am
Sunday: Worship services at 8am, Guided tours at 1pm.
Admission charged; Sunday tours are free.

The Cathedral Church of Saint Peter and Saint Paul took 83 years to build, officially completed in 1990. In 2007, it was voted one of the top three most beautiful buildings in the U.S. by the American Institute of Architects. It has been the site of a number of Presidential funerals, with more than 150 interred (including Helen Keller, her tutor Anne Sullivan and President Woodrow Wilson).

The National Cathedral is an Episcopal church that was chartered by Congress; it celebrated its Centennial in 2007. Although the word “national” is in its title, the cathedral is not funded by any public monies. It was built with private funds and operated today through donations, gifts and revenue from its shops and other endeavors.

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