The Basilica of St. Mary Star of the Sea

The Basilica of St. Mary Star of the Sea is a historic Roman Catholic church at 1010 Windsor Lane in Key West, Florida, occupying a large property at the corner of Truman Avenue. Established in 1851 by Father John F. Kirby, it is the oldest Catholic parish in the Archdiocese of Miami and one of the earliest established in Florida. The original wooden church stood at the corner of Duval and Eaton Streets and was dedicated on 26 February 1852, but was destroyed by fire on 20 September 1901 in what was suspected to be an arson attack. Construction of the present church began on 2 February 1904 under the direction of Dutch-born Jesuit architect Brother Cornelius Otten, who designed a substantial building combining Victorian, Romanesque and early Renaissance architectural elements. Completed at a cost of $24,444, the church was dedicated on 20 August 1905 by Bishop William John Kenny of St. Augustine. Its exterior is characterised by rusticated walls, rounded arches, decorative stained-glass windows and two 97-foot towers crowned by steeply pitched roofs. Although the walls resemble natural stone blocks, they were constructed from poured concrete incorporating limestone excavated from the property. The interior contains a broad nave supported by slender cast-iron columns, a barrel-vaulted ceiling decorated with pressed metal panels and a stained-glass window depicting the Virgin Mary as Star of the Sea, manufactured by the Franz Mayer Company of Munich and installed in 1907. Large openings along the sides of the building were designed to provide natural ventilation in Key West’s subtropical climate. The surrounding grounds also contain the Grotto of Our Lady of Lourdes, built in 1922 under the direction of Sister Louis Gabriel of the Sisters of the Holy Names of Jesus and Mary. Following the devastating hurricanes that had struck Key West during her years on the island, Sister Gabriel reportedly believed that the grotto would provide spiritual protection against future storms. The property also has a long association with Catholic education, particularly through the neighbouring Convent of Mary Immaculate and the schools established by the Sisters during the nineteenth century. After a major restoration during the late 1980s and early 1990s, the church’s altar was reconsecrated in December 1992. On 11 February 2012, Pope Benedict XVI elevated St. Mary Star of the Sea to the status of a minor basilica, recognising its historical and religious importance.

The Basilica of St. Mary Star of the Sea appears in Licence to Kill (1989), the sixteenth James Bond film, directed by John Glen and starring Timothy Dalton. The church represents the location of the wedding between CIA agent Felix Leiter and Della Churchill in Key West. Several exterior shots establish the building as the wedding venue, while the principal action involves Bond and Leiter arriving by parachute after helping capture drug lord Franz Sanchez. The production filmed the actual church and its surrounding grounds during its Florida location work in August 1988. Although the building is identified as the location of the wedding, the church interior is not shown in the finished film.

In Licence to Kill (1989), the Basilica of St. Mary Star of the Sea appears during the film’s pre-title sequence, when James Bond, played by Timothy Dalton, is serving as best man at the wedding of his longtime friend Felix Leiter, played by David Hedison. The two men are travelling to the ceremony when agents from the Drug Enforcement Administration intercept them and request Leiter’s assistance in capturing Colombian drug lord Franz Sanchez, played by Robert Davi. Their pursuit culminates in a spectacular airborne operation in which Bond manages to attach a cable from a helicopter to Sanchez’s escaping aircraft, allowing the authorities to capture the fugitive. Meanwhile, the wedding guests have gathered outside St. Mary Star of the Sea Church, where Della Churchill, played by Priscilla Barnes, is becoming increasingly impatient with her absent fiancé. Dressed in her wedding gown, Della is driven around the surrounding streets in a car while waiting for news of Leiter’s arrival. Sharkey, played by Frank McRae, attempts to reassure her and encourages another circuit of the block, hoping to give the two men enough time to reach the ceremony. Della’s father is considerably less optimistic, expressing his doubts about the marriage as they continue waiting. Several shots show the actual church exterior, including its twin towers, white façade and the surrounding palm-lined streets.

The film then returns to Bond and Leiter, who have completed their mission but are still running late for the wedding. Rather than travelling to the church by road, the two men jump from the aircraft with parachutes and descend towards the waiting guests. The camera shows their parachutes opening above the church before cutting to the area immediately outside its entrance. Leiter lands first, followed shortly afterwards by Bond, who joins his friend as the wedding party reacts to their unconventional arrival. The two men then make their way towards the church, bringing the pre-title sequence to a close. These exterior scenes were filmed at the actual St. Mary Star of the Sea Church, with the building and its immediate surroundings clearly visible. The parachute sequence combined aerial stunt footage with closer shots photographed near the church. For the close-up of Leiter’s landing, David Hedison was suspended from a crane and lowered towards the pavement to simulate his descent. During one take, the equipment lowered him too quickly, causing him to strike the ground hard enough to leave him limping for the remainder of the production. Director John Glen later acknowledged responsibility for the accident. The wedding itself is not shown inside the church, and the story resumes at the reception held at Leiter’s house, which was filmed separately at 707 South Street in Key West. The scenes at St. Mary Star of the Sea therefore concentrate on the bride’s increasingly impatient wait and the two agents’ spectacular arrival, with the actual church providing the setting for the conclusion of the film’s opening adventure.

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