Canada, Dominion. A Basilica-Cathedral Of St. John The Baptist In St. John’s, Newfoundland Medal

In silvered white metal, in high relief on both sides, obverse illustrating the Basilica-Cathedral of St. John the Baptist, surrounded by the inscription "THE CATHEDRAL OF ST JOHNS, NEWFOUNDLAND" and inscribed "THE HOUSE WHICH I DESIRE TO BUILD IS GREAT, FOR OUR GOD IS GREAT. / 2. PARALIP. II. 5." below, engraver marked "J. TAYLOR BIRM." (Birmingham), reverse illustrating a bishop blessing the cathedral's cornerstone with a cross prominently displayed to the left of the cornerstone, with multiple priests stationed on either side, a gathered crowd, along with a village and hills in the background, with an all-seeing eye and emanating rays in the sky directly above, inscribed "THE FIRST STONE LAID BY THE Rt REVd Dr FLEMING V.A. 1841.", measuring 53.5 mm in diameter, a hole drilled through at the top that punctures the right side of the all-seeing eye, contact marks, silvering wear, fine.

Footnote: According to Heritage Newfoundland and Labrador, the project began under the leadership of Bishop Michael Anthony Fleming, who went through great pains to secure a grant of land to build the cathedral. After making five trips to England, and following a Board of Ordnance grant, Fleming acquired nine acres of land on which to build the church and related buildings. Work commenced with the fencing of the land in 1838, and on May 21, 1841, the cornerstone was laid. Sixteen years elapsed from the time excavation work began in 1839 until the cathedral was consecrated in 1855. The stone was mined from local quarries for the structure. At the time, the construction was the largest ever undertaken in Newfoundland. As documented, "When finished in 1855, it was 246 feet, 6 inches long, and 186 feet, 6 inches wide in the transept. The interior is 55 ft. high. At the time of its completion it had a seating capacity of 2,000 and was one of the largest buildings in British North America. The two 138 foot high towers on either side of the entrance contain a town clock and nine Irish bells. Irishman James Murphy cast the largest bell, the two-ton St. John Bell, in 1850. James Murphy won a Gold Medal at the Dublin Exhibition of Irish Manufacturers for his work." The basilica was designated a National Historic Site in 1984, the same year it was visited by Pope John Paul II.