Cathedral Basilica of St. Joseph, San Jose (must see)

The Cathedral Basilica of St. Joseph is the cathedral for the Diocese of San Jose. This church is the oldest non-mission congregation in California, with the current building dating to 1876. Besides being an active worshipping community and ministry location, the church has some beautiful architecture you must see.

Stained glass windows are some of the most popular features, with 39 windows commemorating saints including St. Aloysius and St. Claude de la Colombiere, both of Italian construction. Some of the windows are made from hand-blown Bavarian glass, representing a lost art in stained glass window-making.

The Odell Tracker pipe organ dates to 1886 and was designed specifically for this church. Only four organs of this style were made in the United States. Of these organs, this one is the only one on the West Coast that has survived in its original condition. In total there are 60 pipes with 27 ranks.