The Shrine of Our Lady of Pompeii, Little Italy, Chicago

The Shrine of Our Lady of Pompeii is a parish church in Little Italy, on the West side of Chicago. The parish was established to minister to Italian migrants to Chicago. In 1880 there were 1300; by the 1920s, there were 74,000. Today, nearly 600,000 Chicago citizens claim Italian descent, mostly from Sicily and the area around Naples.

Originally established as an official Italian national parish in 1911, the church was built in 1923 in a Ravenna-style, by Worthmann & Steinbach, two German-born architects who were responsible for more than 300 buildings in the Chicago area in the period 1900-1928.

As a prelude to its centennial celebrations in 2023, work began to completely renovate and refurbish the building re-ordering the liturgical emphasis which is now articulated in a striking new Cosmati mosaic floor.

The project was the brainchild of the distinguished theologian and Rector, Rev Ricardo Fragomeni (and there’s an interview with him at the time of the re-dedication here:

The project architects were led by Jack Kelley (see: MKB Architects). Luke Hughes supplied design advice, a set of Charterhouse stacking pews, LH 33 'St Edmund's' chairs and a set of kneelers, upholstered with fabric designed by artist Sophie Hacker (see: Sophie Hacker), representing the four elements: air, fire, earth and water.

The Shrine was re-dedicated by the Cardinal Cupic, Archbishop of Chicago, on 17 May 2026. See: Altar consecrationThe Shrine of Our Lady of Pompeii