Cathedral of the Plains, Victoria, Kansas Poster

"Cathedral of the Plains, Victoria, Kansas" by Catherine Sherman. The towering twin spires of the Basilica of St. Fidelis are visible from Interstate 70 as you cross Kansas. Many people stop to visit this magnificent church to view and pray in its gorgeous interior. The Basilica of St. Fidelis, commonly known as the Cathedral of the Plains, is a Romanesque-style Roman Catholic parish church in Victoria, Kansas, United States. It was raised to the status of a Minor Basilica in 2014 and is also known as The Basilica of the Plains. The church was built between 1908 and 1911. Former presidential candidate William Jennings Bryan gave the church the nickname "The Cathedral of the Plains" after he visited the town in 1912. The church was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1971. Since the late 19th century, the faithful and their meeting places in Ellis County, Kansas, including St. Fidelis Catholic Church, have been overseen by the Capuchin Order, a subset of the Franciscans. A three story building beside the church is a Friary of the Capuchins, and now houses retired Capuchin priests.