Saint Peter and Paul Cathedral, Paramaribo

Last updated
Front of Saint Peter and Paul Cathedral Sint-Petrus-en-Pauluskathedraal.jpg
Front of Saint Peter and Paul Cathedral
Completely wooden interior St Petrus en Paulus kathedraal Paramaribo, Suriname.jpg
Completely wooden interior
A colorized photograph of the Saint Peter and Paul Cathedral taken in the 1920s in Paramaribo, Suriname Colorized Sint Petrus en Paulus Kathedraal Paramaribo Suriname 1920s.jpg
A colorized photograph of the Saint Peter and Paul Cathedral taken in the 1920s in Paramaribo, Suriname
St Peter and Paul Cathedral 2.jpg

The Cathedral-Basilica of Saint Peter and Paul also called Saint Peter and Paul Cathedral (Dutch: Sint-Petrus-en-Pauluskathedraal) is a wooden Roman Catholic cathedral located in the centre of the capital city of Paramaribo, Suriname.

Contents

The Catholic congregation in the city originally used a church adapted in 1826 from a Dutch Jewish theatre built in 1809. As the years passed, the church became too small for the growing number of Catholics in the city. In 1882 the diocese decided to build the cathedral. It was consecrated in 1885, but the towers were not completed until 1901. A major restoration was completed in 2010 and the cathedral was re-opened. The cathedral was designated as a minor basilica by Pope Francis in 2014.

History

The Cathedral of St. Peter and Paul in Paramaribo Cathedral Paramaribo.jpg
The Cathedral of St. Peter and Paul in Paramaribo

In 1826 the Roman Catholic Church in Paramaribo adapted De Verrezene Phoenix, a former Dutch Jewish theatre built in 1809, to use as a church. In 1858 it was designated as a cathedral when a diocese was established in Paramaribo and a bishop assigned.

When the congregation outgrew the building, the diocese decided to build a new cathedral. It was designed by Frans Harmes. Construction of the cathedral began January 30, 1883, on the site of a former Dutch Jewish theatre De Verrezene Phoenix, built in 1809. The cathedral interior is built of unpainted Surinamese cedar. Although it was consecrated in 1885, the towers were not completed until 1901.

A poorly done restoration was completed in 1977, but the building began to fall into disrepair, encountering problems with tilting and termites. In 2002 an extensive renovation was completed and the cathedral was returned to usable condition. With help of European Union-funding, formal restoration of the cathedral began in 2007 and, after 3 years, the church was re-opened on November 13, 2010.

In 2009 the gate to the cathedral turned 200 years old.

Structure

The Saint Peter and Paul Cathedral is the largest wooden structure in the Western Hemisphere. The cathedral has two confession rooms. The Dutch-Surinamese priest Peter Donders, who had attended to lepers in Batavia, is buried in here.

Measurements

This makes the cathedral the biggest and tallest wooden structure in the Western Hemisphere. The cathedral has space for about 900 people and was initially built for freedmen and contract laborers.

Bells

The building has three bells in the west tower. The name of the smallest bell is Alfhonsus and it weighs 222 kg. The biggest bell is named John and it weighs 827 kg. The middle one is named Rosa, and it weighs 413 kg.

Pipe organ

The pipe organ was constructed in Germany and initially contained 1,550 pipes. Many of the pipes have been stolen over the years, leaving the organ with a value of 400 euros. After restoration, it is expected to have a value of around 10 million euros.

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">St. Rumbold's Cathedral</span> Cathedral in Mechelen, Belgium

St. Rumbold's Cathedral is the Roman Catholic metropolitan archiepiscopal cathedral in Mechelen, Belgium, dedicated to Saint Rumbold, Christian missionary and martyr who founded an abbey nearby. His remains are rumoured to be buried inside the cathedral. State-of-the-art examination of the relics honoured as Saint Rumbold's and kept in a shrine in the retro-choir, showed a life span of about 40 years and a death date between 580 and 655, while tradition had claimed 775 AD.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cathedral Basilica of Our Lady of Peace</span> Historic Roman Catholic church in Hawaii, United States

The Cathedral Basilica of Our Lady of Peace is the mother church and cathedral of the Diocese of Honolulu.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Grote Kerk, Haarlem</span> Church in Haarlem, Netherlands

The Grote Kerk or St.-Bavokerk is a Reformed Protestant church and former Catholic cathedral located on the central market square in the Dutch city of Haarlem. Another Haarlem church called the Cathedral of Saint Bavo now serves as the main cathedral for the Roman Catholic Diocese of Haarlem-Amsterdam.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">St Patrick's Cathedral, Melbourne</span> Cathedral in Victoria, Australia

The Cathedral Church and Minor Basilica of Saint Patrick is the cathedral church of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Melbourne in Victoria, Australia, and seat of its archbishop, currently Peter Comensoli.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">St. Louis Cathedral (New Orleans)</span> Basilica in New Orleans, Louisiana

The Cathedral-Basilica of Saint Louis, King of France, also called St. Louis Cathedral, is the seat of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of New Orleans and is the oldest cathedral in continuous use in the United States alongside the Royal Presidio Chapel in Monterey, California. It is dedicated to Saint Louis, also known as King Louis IX of France. The first church on the site was built in 1718; the third, under the Spanish rule, built in 1789, was raised to cathedral rank in 1793. The second St. Louis Cathedral was burned during the great fire of 1788 and was expanded and largely rebuilt and completed in the 1850s, with little of the 1789 structure remaining.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cathedral of the Blessed Sacrament (Sacramento, California)</span> Church in California, United States

The Cathedral of the Blessed Sacrament is the mother church of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Sacramento, in Sacramento, capital of the state of California. It is the seat of Bishop Jaime Soto. The cathedral is located downtown at the intersection of 11th and K Streets.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Basilica of St. John the Baptist</span> Historic church in Newfoundland and Labrador, Canada

The Basilica-Cathedral of St. John the Baptist in St. John's, Newfoundland and Labrador is the metropolitan cathedral of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of St. John's, Newfoundland and the mother church and symbol of Roman Catholicism in Newfoundland. The building sits within the St. John's Ecclesiastical District, a National Historic District of Canada.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">St. John's Cathedral ('s-Hertogenbosch)</span> Church in s-Hertogenbosch, Netherlands

The Catholic Cathedral Church of St. John (Sint-Janskathedraal) of 's-Hertogenbosch, North Brabant, is the height of Gothic architecture in the Netherlands. It has an extensive and richly decorated interior, and serves as the cathedral for the bishopric of 's-Hertogenbosch.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cathedral Basilica of St. Francis of Assisi (Santa Fe)</span> Church in downtown Santa Fe, New Mexico, United States

The Cathedral Basilica of Saint Francis of Assisi, commonly known as Saint Francis Cathedral, is a Roman Catholic cathedral in downtown Santa Fe, New Mexico. It is the mother church of the Archdiocese of Santa Fe.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">St. Stephen's Cathedral, Passau</span> Church in Passau, Germany

St. Stephen's Cathedral is a baroque church from 1688 in Passau, Germany, dedicated to Saint Stephen. It is the seat of the Catholic Bishop of Passau and the main church of his diocese.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Peter Donders</span> Dutch Roman Catholic missionary

Petrus Norbertus Donders was a Dutch Roman Catholic priest and member of the Redemptorist Congregation. He served in various missions in the Dutch colony of Surinam. He started working in the capital Paramaribo, but is predominantly known for his work in and around the leper colony Batavia, where he died in 1887. Peter Donders was beatified as 'Apostle of the Indians and Lepers' in 1982. The miracle needed was found in the cure of a Dutch child from bone cancer back in 1929.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cathedral Basilica of Christ the King</span> Church in Hamilton, Ontario

The Cathedral Basilica of Christ the King is a Roman Catholic church in Hamilton, Ontario, Canada. The cathedral was consecrated on December 19, 1933. It is the seat of the bishop of the Diocese of Hamilton, and the cathedral of the Diocese of Hamilton. The cathedral contains the cathedra of the bishop, the Most Rev. Douglas Crosby. The cathedral was raised to the status of a minor basilica in February 2013 by Pope Benedict XVI.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Notre-Dame Basilica (Montreal)</span> Church in Quebec, Canada

The Notre-Dame Basilica is a basilica in the historic district of Old Montreal, in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. The church is located at 110 Notre-Dame Street West, at the corner of Saint Sulpice Street. It is located next to the Saint-Sulpice Seminary and faces the Place d'Armes square.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Krk Cathedral</span> Church in Krk, Croatia

The Krk Cathedral or fully Cathedral of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary is a cathedral in the town of Krk on the northern Adriatic island of Krk, Croatia. It is the seat of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Krk. The church was built in the 5th or 6th century but archeological evidence suggests that the site was used by Christians as early as 4th century.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception (Moscow)</span> Neo-Gothic Catholic cathedral in Moscow

The Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception of the Holy Virgin Mary is a neo-Gothic Catholic church at Moscow's center, that serves as the cathedral of the Archdiocese of Moscow. Located in the Central Administrative Okrug, it is one of three Catholic churches in Moscow and the largest in Russia.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">St Bavo's Cathedral, Ghent</span> Church in Ghent, Belgium

Saint Bavo's Cathedral, also known as Sint-Baafs Cathedral, is a cathedral of the Catholic Church in Ghent, Belgium. The 89-meter-tall Gothic building is the seat of the Diocese of Ghent and is named for Saint Bavo of Ghent. It contains the well-known Ghent Altarpiece.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cathedral Basilica of the Assumption (Covington, Kentucky)</span> Historic church in Kentucky, United States

The Roman Catholic St. Mary's Cathedral Basilica of the Assumption in Covington, Kentucky, is a minor basilica in the United States. Construction of the cathedral began under the Diocese of Covington's third bishop, Camillus Paul Maes, in 1895 to replace an 1834 frame church that was inadequate for the growing congregation. Pope Pius XII elevated the cathedral to the rank of minor basilica on December 8, 1953.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">St Willibrordus, Hulst</span> Church building in the Netherlands

St Willibrordus is a basilica located in the center of the fortress city of Hulst in the east of Zeelandic Flanders, the Netherlands. The church is dedicated to the missionary St. Willibrord, often called the apostle of the Benelux countries. Although the nave dates from the 13th to 15th centuries, the central tower was destroyed several times, most recently in the Second World War. The current tower's modern appearance dates from the 1950s. The church contains the painting The Good Samaritan by Jan Baptist Maes (1794–1856) from Ghent. The scenes of the Way of the Cross were painted by Jan Jozef Deloose (1769–1849) from Sint-Niklaas. The frames are by the Ghent sculptor P. Pauwels.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Santa Rosa Church, Paramaribo</span> Church in Paramaribo, Suriname

The Santa Rosa Church is a Roman Catholic church located in Paramaribo, Suriname. The current church dates from 1911, and is the second largest church in Paramaribo. It is located in the centre of the city and part of the UNESCO World Heritage Site.

References

    5°49′43.2″N55°09′14.6″W / 5.828667°N 55.154056°W / 5.828667; -55.154056