A series of events are being held in Co Mayo today to mark the 50th anniversary of the opening of the Catholic Basilica in Knock.
The building has accommodated millions of pilgrims to the Marian Shrine since 1976, reports RTE.
A Mass of thanksgiving will be celebrated later today, with guided tours, film screenings and panel discussions also taking place.
Basilicas come about as a result of papal designations to honour spiritual, historical or architectural significance, reports RTE.
The Basilica in Knock fulfils all of those criteria — it is a place of pilgrimage, a striking structure and central to the wider story of the area, having been elevated to the status of Basilica by Pope John Paul II during his visit to the shrine in 1979.
The building was first envisaged by Monsignor James Horan shortly after his arrival in the village in the early 1970s, when he set about acquiring land adjacent to the shrine and the means to build on it, reports RTE.
Designed by Dáithi P Hanly, it has five internal segments each capable of accommodating 1,000 people, radiating out from a central sanctuary.
The church has unobstructed sight lines to the central altar and was built to allow overflow crowds of up to 2,500 to gather outside on a “covered ambulatory” that encircles the building, reports RTE.
The Royal Irish Academy’s Dictionary of Irish Biography describes the design as Hanly’s “most ambitious commission.”
It dominates the skyline around Knock and serves as the focal point at the centre of the Marian Shrine, reports RTE.
Parish Priest Fr Richard Gibbons said today’s celebrations would combine prayer, reflection, storytelling and thanksgiving.
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