The Basilica of the Sacred Heart of Jesus is a Roman Catholic church in downtown Atlanta, Georgia, United States.

The church traces its origins to 1880, when the parish of Saints Peter and Paul was established to cover the northern part of the city.

[13] In 1897, Bishop Thomas Albert Andrew Becker of Savannah asked the Marist Fathers to help in the diocese's efforts in Atlanta and its missions in north Georgia,[14] a territory that covered approximately 9,500 square miles (25,000 km2).

[14] Upon taking over operations for Saints Peter and Paul, they determined that the current buildings were in poor condition and in an unsuitable location,[13] and they began to plan the construction of a new church.

[note 1] On May 1 1898,[17] the newly completed church building was dedicated by Becker[10] to the Sacred Heart of Jesus,[7] leading to the parish being renamed accordingly.

[22] Additionally, physical improvements continued to be made to the building, with stained glass windows installed in 1902 and the interior decorated and painted in 1907.

[16] In 1911, Gunn left his position as pastor to become the bishop of the Diocese of Natchez,[4] with his ordination to the bishopric taking place at the church on August 29.

[4] Additionally, the Marists had established missions throughout the northern part of the state, primarily in the towns along the several railroad lines that crossed the region.

[25] In 1924, a dedicated building for the parochial school was built adjacent to the church by the Atlanta-based architectural firm of Pringle and Smith.

[30] Several years later, on September 5 1965, the church returned to the administration of the Archdiocese of Atlanta[note 3] as the Marist Fathers refocused their efforts in the city on operating the Our Lady of the Assumption parish.

[30] On April 10, 1990, the government of Atlanta declared the church a Landmark Building, a designation to promote historic preservation in the city.

[6] The idea for petitioning the organization for this status had been floated about ten years prior by the church's pastor, but no work was carried out for this goal until about 2007.

[6] Today, the building is one of the few remaining structures in the area that was built around the turn of the 20th century,[30] and the parish is one of the oldest operating in the archdiocese.

[16] On either side of the front arcade are two octagonal towers measuring 137 feet (42 m) tall,[7][9] both of which are topped with louvered belfries and pavilion roofs.

[15] The nave of the building consists of high arches leading to the sanctuary, which features a baldachin displaying a crucifix in life-size.

[15] In 1901, Pastor Gunn purchased land adjacent to the church to serve as the location for a boys' military academy operated by Sacred Heart.

[29] Construction on this institution, called Marist College, began in June of that year and it opened on October 2, offering a primarily high school curriculum with several college-level courses.