Cathedral of St. Peter and Paul (Paramaribo)
The Cathedral of St. Peter and Paul (l .: Sint-Petrus-en-Pauluskathedraal ) is a Roman Catholic church in the center of Paramaribo , the capital of Suriname . The wooden neo-Romanesque cathedral of the Paramaribo diocese is dedicated to the apostles Peter and Paul and has the title of a minor basilica .
Building history
The church was built between 1883 and 1887. The design comes from the Redemptorist Frans Harmes (1835–1894). The exterior of the three-aisled basilica with transept is influenced by the Redemptorist Church in Roosendaal, the Netherlands, and the Redemptorist Cathedral in Boston . The facade is painted yellow and gray. The interior is made of unpainted cedar wood in the ornamentation of Surinam. The cathedral is one of the largest wood-built churches in South America , along with St. George's Cathedral in Georgetown in Guyana.
Unusually, the cathedral was built over the existing church. This church was originally a theater called Verreezene Phoenix . In 1826 this old theater was converted into a church and consecrated as the Church of St. Peter and Paul. During the new construction, the building had to be closed in 1882. The foundation stone was laid for this on January 30, 1883. The old church was then used as a support structure during construction and was only removed shortly before the cathedral was put into use. The church consecration took place on July 10, 1885. The completion lasted until 1887. The neo-Romanesque, for example 44 meter high church towers with their four flanking side towers each form an impressive double tower facade and were completed around 1901. The church wasn't painted until 1926, forty years after it opened. With a length of 59.1 meters, the church offers space for 900 worshipers in a 14.6 meter high and 16.5 meter wide main hall, making it one of the largest and tallest wooden structures in the western hemisphere. On May 7, 1958, when the former Apostolic Vicariate of Dutch-Guyana-Suriname was elevated to the current Diocese of Paramaribo , the church became its cathedral.
renovation
After extensive renovation, which lasted from 1977 to 1979, the building began to fall into disrepair and tip over after a few years. In 1989 the cathedral was closed to the public. In the mid-1990s, the Vatican made funds available to restore the building. Because the cathedral was also infested by termites, extensive restoration began in 2002. To this end, the Aid Peerke Donders Foundation took action. Around EUR 2.8 million was made available by the European Development Fund , so that the actual restoration could begin in 2007. On November 13th and 14th, 2010 the cathedral was put back into use after more than 21 years with a consecration mass and consecration by Bishop Wilhelmus de Bekker . After Pope Francis elevated the cathedral to a minor basilica, the basilica was inaugurated and blessed on April 6, 2014 in the presence of Nuncio Nicolas Girasoli .
Bells
In August 1885, three bells named Alphonsus , Rosa and Johannes were installed in the west tower . They have the tones Sol-Si-Re and were cast by the Koninklijke Klokkengieterij Petit & Fritsen in Aarle-Rixtel . The heaviest bell that Johannes weighs 827 kilos. All three tones sound on Sundays, public holidays and other special occasions.
organ
The organ was built by Michaël Maarschalkerweerd between 1889 and 1890 and had 1,550 pipes at that time. The restoration of the organ was not yet completed in 2015.
Web links
- 130 jaar Basilica Cathedral St.Petrus & Paulus Article by the Paramaribo diocese for the 130th anniversary (1885–2015) of the Basilica Cathedral.
Individual evidence
- ^ Cathedral Basiliek van Sint Petrus en Paulus on gcatholic.org.
- ↑ St. Peter and Paul Cathedral in Paramaribo Dutch, accessed on September 10, 2018.
- ↑ StarNieuws, April 7, 2014 Dutch, accessed September 10, 2018.
- ↑ Catholic News ( Memento of May 2, 2014 in the Internet Archive ) English, accessed on January 22, 2016.
- ↑ Maarschalkerweerd & Zoon.
Coordinates: 5 ° 49 ′ 43.3 " N , 55 ° 9 ′ 14.7" W.