Igreja da Imaculada Conceição Viqueque

The church at its inauguration in 2015

The Igreja da Imaculada Conceição Viqueque ( German Church of the Immaculate Conception Viqueque ) is the Catholic parish church of the East Timorese parish in Viqueque . It is located in Suco Caraubalo ( Office of Administration Viqueque , community Viqueque ). The pastor is Dionísio Divo da Silva Sarmento .

history

The old Viqueques church from the Portuguese colonial era, shortly before its demolition

The old Viqueques Church, which previously stood on the site, was demolished on February 2, 2013.

The church was on 22 August 2015 attended by President Taur Matan Ruak by Bishop Basilio do Nascimento ordained . Other guests of honor were the army chief Lere Anan Timor , FRETILIN boss Francisco Guterres , Foreign Minister Hernâni Coelho , representing the Prime Minister , Colonel Falur rate Laek , representatives of the diplomatic corps and the Vatican, as well as members of parliament and representatives of other parishes in the country. It took two years to build and cost two million US dollars. $ 30,000 came from Viqueque itself.

The bell of the old church
Construction work on the new church

Architecture and equipment

This statue of Jesus is crowned with a Timorese Kaibauk and wears a belak in front of the chest

The church, built by an Indonesian company, is 150 meters long and 42 meters wide. The three-aisled basilica with a transept and a polygonal apse is completely covered in white and has a simplified European Gothic style. Two towers flank the portal facade, they represent the ancient kingdoms of Viqueque and Luca , protectors of the church. Above the crossing there is a twelve meter high, wide crossing tower . The apse is surrounded by five chapels. The first is dedicated to St. Maria Goretti (patron saint of altar servers), the second to St. Theresa of the Child Jesus (patroness of the neighboring church of Ossu ), the third to St. Francis Xavier (represents the evangelization of Timor ), the fourth to St. Anthony ( Patron saint of Baucau Cathedral ) and the Fifth Immaculate Conception . On the apse arch is the inscription ADVENIAT REGNUM TUUM FIAT VOLUNTAS TUA - “Your kingdom come, your will be done”. Behind the altar there are seven tall church windows that represent the seven sacraments . Under the altar there is a crypt, the graves of which date from the Portuguese colonial times. Statues of the holy angels ( Santu Anjo ) Michael ( Miguel ), Gabriel , Raphael ( Rafael ) and Uriel adorn the interior of the church.

Before the church is a well consisting of a spherical Fuca -Blüte of metal. With its ten water nozzles, it symbolizes the ten sucos viqueques. There is also a carnelian from the Suco Caraubalo , which is considered sacred there. Also in the park of the church is a pavilion crowned with a Kaibauk with the wreck of a jeep. It is the vehicle of two nuns who, along with seven other people, were murdered by members of the pro-Indonesian militia Team Alfa during Operation Donner on 25 September on the Malailada River ( Lautém municipality ) .