The granting of the title of Minor Basilica to the Church of Mary Help of Christians of the Salesians of Madrid-Atocha will entail greater pastoral responsibilities, the celebration of Roman feasts, the use of its own insignia such as the conopeum and the tintinnabulum, and the possibility of offering plenary indulgences to the faithful.
The path leading to the declaration as a Minor Basilica
The Dicastery for Divine Worship and the Discipline of the Sacraments granted the parish of Mary Help of Christians, run by the Salesians of Atocha in Madrid, the title and dignity of Minor Basilica on 7 October 2025, by virtue of the decree signed by Cardinal Arthur Roche, then Prefect of that Dicastery. This act conferred upon this Salesian church official recognition of its special liturgical and pastoral significance within the Archdiocese of Madrid.
The document noted that in February 2022, Cardinal Carlos Osoro, in his capacity as Archbishop of Madrid, had submitted the request to the Holy See, expressing the wishes of the clergy and faithful of his archdiocese.
This process had originally been initiated by Salesian Fr Iñaki Lete, parish priest of the community until September 2025, who had compiled a comprehensive dossier on the history of the church, its pastoral life and the deep-rooted devotion to Mary Help of Christians dating back to 1901, the year in which the Salesians settled in the Atocha district.
Even before being recognised as a Minor Basilica, the Salesian parish in Madrid was declared the Provincial Shrine of Mary Help of Christians and, in addition to its usual pastoral activities, serves as a focal point for celebrations throughout the Spain-St James the Greater (SSM) Province. As such, it regularly hosts Salesian priestly ordinations, perpetual professions, provincial meetings and a multitude of other similar events.
Within this church is also the Chapel of the Martyrs, which houses the remains of 11 Salesians martyred during the Civil War and beatified on 28 October 2007.
Third Salesian Minor Basilica in Spain
With this designation, the Church of Mary Help of Christians in Atocha will become the third Salesian church in Spain to be granted the status of Minor Basilica, alongside the Expiatory Church of the Sacred Heart of Tibidabo in Barcelona (since 1961) and the Basilica of Mary Help of Christians in the Trinidad district of Seville (since 2008).
Furthermore, it will join the group of Minor Basilicas in Madrid, which includes, amongst others, the Basilica of Jesus of Medinaceli, the Church of ‘La Milagrosa’, the Church of San Francisco el Grande and the Church of Our Lady of Atocha.
Likewise, it has become part of the group of Madrid’s basilicas, which include Jesús de Medinaceli, La Milagrosa, San Francisco el Grande and Nuestra Señora de Atocha, amongst others.
Source: Salesianos.info
