Around Town · Matlacha
Historic churches, shrines and pilgrimage destinations.
No local listings in Matlacha. These destinations are in other Florida towns; each listing includes its address.
Ave Maria's striking steel-framed church, dedicated in 2008 and the heart of the town's Catholic community.
5088 Ave Maria Blvd., Ave Maria, FL 34142
View details →The parish welcomes visitors with free self-guided tour brochures while the church is open; please avoid touring during Mass or the 15 minutes before it. Seasonal guided tours are offered free — confirm dates with the parish office.
Key West's historic basilica, built in 1904–1905, with a beloved 1922 Lourdes Grotto associated with prayers for protection from hurricanes.
1010 Windsor Lane, Key West, FL 33040
Worth the Trip
View details →Visitors can pray at the grotto and Stations of the Cross Garden and take a self-guided basilica walking tour. The adoration chapel operates around the clock. Confirm current church-interior access before traveling.
Basilica and national shrine serving as a sanctuary of pilgrimage and prayer for visitors to the Orlando area.
8300 Vineland Avenue, Orlando, FL 32821
Hours: Monday–Friday, 8:30 a.m.–5 p.m.; Saturday, 10 a.m.–7 p.m.; Sunday, 7 a.m.–2 p.m.
Worth the Trip
View details →Attend scheduled Masses or enter for private prayer during opening hours. The grounds feature Stations of the Cross sculptures by Timothy Schmalz and a Shroud of Turin exhibit with a life-sized replica.
The cathedral parish of America's oldest Catholic community, tracing its beginnings to St. Augustine's founding in 1565.
38 Cathedral Place, St. Augustine, FL 32084
Hours: Typically Monday–Friday, 8 a.m.–5 p.m.
Worth the Trip
View details →The present church was built in 1793–1797 and rebuilt after the 1887 fire. Visitors are welcomed for prayer and to view the art and architecture outside services; behind-the-scenes tours run about an hour (adults $18).
Cathedral of the Diocese of Venice since 1984, grown from a 1935 mission of Sarasota's St. Martha Parish.
310 Sarasota St., Venice, FL 34285
View details →A major cathedral renovation is under way — confirm the current Mass location and any interior access with the parish before traveling. An Adoration Chapel serves as an alternative prayer space.
America's first Marian shrine, marking the 1565 landing of Pedro Menéndez de Avilés and the first thanksgiving Mass on Florida soil.
101 San Marco Avenue, St. Augustine, FL 32084
Hours: Grounds daily, dawn to dusk; Shrine Church and Historic Chapel Monday–Saturday 9 a.m.–5 p.m., Sunday noon–4 p.m.
Worth the Trip
View details →One destination encompassing the historic chapel, Shrine Church, mission grounds, the 208-foot Great Cross, Rosary Garden, museum and gift shop. No admission fee; parking is free for the first hour and during scheduled services.
Museum at Ave Maria University interpreting Saint Teresa of Calcutta's life through bilingual panels, handwritten letters and personal relics.
5050 Ave Maria Blvd., Prince Building, Ave Maria, FL 34142
Hours: Monday–Friday, 10 a.m.–4 p.m.; Saturday, 10 a.m.–3 p.m.
View details →Open to tourists, pilgrims and residents in the Thomas and Selby Prince Building. Contact the Mother Teresa Project to confirm holiday closures and group visits.
Bayside shrine honoring Our Lady of Charity, patroness of Cuba, built by Miami's Cuban exile community and dedicated in 1973.
3609 S. Miami Avenue, Miami, FL 33133
Hours: Monday–Saturday, 7 a.m.–9 p.m.; Sunday, 7 a.m.–5 p.m.
Worth the Trip
View details →Visitors are welcomed for prayer and worship; scheduled Masses are in Spanish. A gift shop keeps separate hours.
Boca Grande's 1950 island church, designed by architect F. Burrell Hoffman through a gift from Gertrude Hill Gavin.
240 Park Ave., Boca Grande, FL 33921
View details →The parish explicitly welcomes visitors to worship and pray. Attend a published service or contact the office about a quiet visit to the historic church.
Retreat center with an outdoor Marian shrine, St. Joseph Chapel, Stations of the Cross and a Rosary Walk around the Lake of the Blessed Sacrament.
3989 S. Moon Drive, Venice, FL 34292
View details →The center welcomes pilgrims for scheduled retreats and prayer days; contact them to arrange or confirm a visit, and respect retreatants' silence and privacy.
Punta Gorda's Catholic parish since 1929, rebuilt in 2008 after Hurricane Charley destroyed the previous church.
211 W. Charlotte Ave., Punta Gorda, FL 33950
Hours: Chapel open Monday–Friday, 9 a.m.–4 p.m.
View details →A large exterior mural, 'The Churches of Sacred Heart,' tells the story of the parish's succession of church buildings. Visitors can attend scheduled Masses and use the chapel during published hours.
Naples' historic Catholic parish, established in 1954, with Rooney Hall — the restored early-1950s former church, Collier County's first Catholic church.
985 3rd St. S., Naples, FL 34102
View details →Visitors are welcome at published Masses. Rooney Hall serves parish and community activities; ask the parish office about viewing the historic hall.
Benedictine abbey founded in 1889, with the university's 1916 Lourdes Grotto and 1935 Gethsemane Grotto across the road.
33601 County Road 52, Saint Leo, FL 33574
Worth the Trip
View details →The abbey welcomes guests for worship and arranged retreats, and offers a self-guided tour. Contact the abbey before a dedicated grotto visit to confirm parking and current access.
Marian shrine of the Schoenstatt movement in southern Miami-Dade, a replica of the original shrine in Germany.
22800 SW 187th Avenue, Miami, FL 33170
Hours: Reception Monday–Friday, 10 a.m.–3 p.m.; weekends, 10 a.m.–4 p.m.
Worth the Trip
View details →The shrine welcomes visitors for prayer, rosaries and scheduled Masses (Saturday 11 a.m.; first Thursday and first and third Sundays, 11 a.m.) — confirm the calendar before traveling.
Fort Myers' Catholic community since the nineteenth-century Jesuit missions; a parish since 1910.
2157 Cleveland Ave., Fort Myers, FL 33901
View details →The present church dates to 1961, and the restored steeple from the first church survives as a monument on the parish grounds. Visitors are welcome at scheduled Masses; contact the parish about visits outside services.
Sarasota's mother parish, rooted in an 1889 Jesuit mission, with a present church dedicated in 1942 and ties to the city's circus heritage.
200 N. Orange Ave., Sarasota, FL 34236
View details →Circus benefit performances helped support the parish's growth. Visitors are welcome at scheduled Masses; contact the office about visits outside services.
Arcadia's Catholic parish, with a mission dating to 1890 and a first church built in 1915.
1330 E. Oak St., Arcadia, FL 34266
View details →The current worship space was dedicated in 2021. The original 1915 church survives at North Monroe Avenue and Whidden Street as a separate property. Visitors are welcome at scheduled English and Spanish Masses.
