Basseterre Co-Cathedral of Immaculate Conception
Basseterre Co-Cathedral of Immaculate Conception is a cathedral in Basseterre in the Caribbean island state of St. Kitts and Nevis . It belongs to the diocese of St. John's-Basseterre ( Antigua ).
architecture
The church is on the east side of Independence Square . It is designed according to typical Catholic models with a cross-shaped floor plan, three-nave vault, two cross-bearing towers on the western front, a central rose window and many neo-Gothic elements.
history
Basseterre was colonized by the French and the Catholic Church was built by the Jesuits and consecrated to Notre Dame . This "Notre Dame" was burned down in 1706 during the Anglo-French War by British soldiers who were billeted there. The church was rebuilt in 1710 and in “St. George's Anglican Church ”. It had been an Anglican Church since the 1720s .
After the island was taken over by the English in 1713, Catholics were prohibited by law from worshiping in public. They were also excluded from offices and military posts by the test files . Only the Catholic Relief Act of 1829 put them back on an equal footing with the rest of the citizens. Since then, the Catholic Church has experienced a revival. Two buildings on Liverpool Row date from this period , where rich and devout Catholic families had domes built on the upper floors of their houses to provide worship spaces.
The constant influx of Portuguese immigrants from Madeira from 1835 onwards led to a considerable growth in the Catholic community.
A church was built around 1856. It was consecrated as the "Church of the Immaculate Conception ". In 1927 it was demolished and replaced with a modern building in the same location on East Square Street . Father Claeys, a well-known architect in the Catholic Church, made the designs. The church was consecrated on December 6, 1928.
The Formation House was the residence of the Catholic nuns and the Manse residence of the priests .
Individual evidence
- ^ Co-Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception . GCatholic.org. Retrieved March 1, 2016.
- ↑ historicstkitts.kn .
