♪♪ [Kohlsdorf] Driving across highway 20, the Basilica of Saint Francis Xavier is hard to miss -- with its brick spires reaching more than 200 feet above the northeast Iowa landscape.

While many places of worship are known for their beauty, this one holds a special distinction.

[Father Chris Podhajsky] It's stunning and it's striking, and certainly people, as soon as they come in the huge wooden doors, you kind of open up into a different world, which is exactly what's supposed to happen.

[Kohlsdorf] Construction of the Catholic Church was completed in 1889 to serve the region's growing congregation.

[Father Chris Podhajsky] The German families who built this church and the surrounding churches, they literally mortgaged their farms, put their own family livelihood and their existence at stake because they saw building a church for God to be that important.

This is what the end result was, was this magnificent, cathedral like basilica.

♪♪ [Kohlsdorf] In recognition of its exceptional architecture, the church was designated as a basilica in 1956 by Pope Pius the 12th.

[Father Chris Podhajsky] There are not many basilicas around.

Basilica simply means seat and it means a papal seat, actually, and that some churches throughout the world, besides the churches that are in Rome itself, the Pope says that's a particular church because of its beauty, its historical significance and so he kind of, as it were, the Pope claims it as one of his own.

[Kohlsdorf] Often located in large cities, it is especially rare to find a basilica in a rural area.

Travelers come from around the world to see this landmark up close.

[Father Chris Podhajsky] This is Iowa heritage.

You don't have to be German to appreciate it.

You don't have to be Catholic to appreciate it, or even Christian.

I routinely greet people from Nebraska and Kansas, Oklahoma, California.

Worldwide, I've had people from Europe and Asia.

And sometimes I try to remind them to sign the guest book just so we get an idea.

But I figure only about a third or half to a third of the people might find the guest book and sign it.

It's amazing how, you know, we're in Iowa and we often don't think, what in Iowa would people come here for?

They come here for this.

They come here for this all the time.

♪♪