Shrine of the Most Holy Redeemer
The Shrine of the Most Holy Redeemer is a Catholic church and shrine in Las Vegas, Nevada, on the south end of the Las Vegas Strip. When it was built in 1993, it was the largest church building in Nevada, regardless of denomination. It is mainly visited by tourists keeping up with their religious obligations while on vacation.
History
The church was built because the Guardian Angel Cathedral, the seat of the archdiocese, which was located on the north side of the Las Vegas Strip, could not accommodate for the increasing number of resorts that were being built on the south end of the strip in the early 1990s, even after the cathedral's expansion. The diocese's bishop at the time, Daniel F. Walsh, chose an empty plot of land off Reno Avenue as the location for the church. The diocese already had $1.5 million in its construction fund at the time, and was able to raise another $2 million in a fundraising campaign. The site cost $2.7 million, and the shrine itself cost $3.5 million. Both casino executives such as Kirk Kerkorian and small donors contributed to funds to the construction of the church, which was started om 1992 by Marnell Corrao Associates. During construction, a temporary chapel was created at the Hacienda.The shrine was dedicated on February 2, 1993, on the feast of the Presentation of Jesus. It originally sat 2,200 until renovations that replaced the pews reduced it to 2,000 in 2014. These renovations were funded by donations to the building fund and also allowed for the construction of a new roof and flooring and updates to the cooling and sound system.