Basilica of the Martyrs of Uganda (Munyonyo)

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Exterior view of the basilica
inner space
Stained glass window in the basilica

The Basilica of the Martyrs of Uganda ( English Basilica of the Uganda Martyrs ) is a Roman Catholic church in Munyonyo in the south of Kampala , the capital of Uganda . The church belonging to the Archdiocese of Kampala is dedicated to the Holy Martyrs of Uganda , it was completed in 2016 and has the title of a minor basilica .

history

Saints Andreas Kaggwa and Dionigi Ssebuggwawo, the first of the martyrs who refused to renounce their faith , died at the place of the sanctuary . The other prisoners were taken to Namugongo on May 24, 1886, where they were executed on June 3, 1886 at the site of today's church, also known as the Basilica of the Martyrs of Uganda , by the decision of King Mwanga II . 1964 were the martyrs by Pope Pius VI. canonized.

In Munyonyo, a small Christian congregation with twenty members formed in the 1960s and celebrated services under a tree at the then little-noticed martyr's place. After the construction of a first chapel under Emmanuel Cardinal Nsubuga , a pilgrimage later developed. The sanctuary was entrusted to the Franciscan Order by Archbishop Cyprian Kizito Lwanga in 2013 .

Construction of the church began with the groundbreaking on May 3, 2015 in the presence of the papal nuncio in Uganda, Archbishop Michael August Blume , and Cardinal Emmanuel Wamala . The project included the construction of the church, a museum, offices and the martyr's place. Pope Francis visited the site and blessed the foundation stone of the sanctuary on November 27, 2015 on his trip to Africa. The construction of the new church was completed in 2016, which was also designated as the seat of the parish of St. Ponsiano Ngondwe Sub Kyamula in 2016 by Archbishop Cyprian Kizito Lwanga . The church was consecrated on October 28, 2017 by Cardinal Fernando Filoni , Prefect of the Congregation for the Evangelization of Peoples. On July 19, 2019, Pope Francis awarded the Church the rank of minor basilica as the third in Uganda.

architecture

The basilica was built on 12 pillars to symbolize the twelve apostles. It has a circular floor plan with a metal cross above the tent roof at a height of 47 meters. In the interior, the terrazzo floor leads to a light marble altar with a tabernacle in the wall. The gilded tabernacle door shows an IHS center relief with a sun symbol. The inside of the tabernacle is lined with marble.

Web links

Commons : Basilica of the Martyrs of Uganda  - Collection of pictures, videos and audio files

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ Vatican Elevates Munyonyo Martyrs' Church to Minor Basilica on ugandaradionetwork.net (English)
  2. ↑ Pope Francis Apostolic Journeys outside Italy ( English ) In: vatican.va .
  3. ↑ Uganda: è Basilica Minore il santuario dei martiri di Munyonyo (Italian)

Coordinates: 0 ° 14 ′ 14.1 ″  N , 32 ° 37 ′ 2.2 ″  E