Immaculate Conception Cathedral
The new cathedral in 2016
Map
LocationApia
CountrySamoa
DenominationRoman Catholic Church
Administration
ArchdioceseArchdiocese of Samoa–Apia

The Immaculate Conception Cathedral[1][2] (also called Cathedral of Apia or Mulivai Cathedral)[3] is the Catholic cathedral in Apia, the capital of Samoa,[4] a insular country in Oceania. It suffered damage in the earthquake of 2009,[5] and has undergone restoration and extension.

The congregation follows the Roman or Latin rite and is the mother church of the Archdiocese of Samoa–Apia (Latin: Archidioecesis Samoa–Apiana; Samoan: Fa'aAkiepikopo Samoa–Apia), which was created in 1966 by Pope Paul VI through the bull "Prophetarum voes".

After three years of repairs, the new cathedral of Apia was opened to the public on 2 June 2014 in the presence of Archbishop Martin Krebs, the apostolic nuncio in New Zealand. The church was rebuilt on the site of the original cathedral, which dated from 1857.[6]

History

The old cathedral with the Police Band of Samoa

In 1852, William Pritchard sold a plot of land in Mulivai, about three-quarters of an acre (or 3000 m²), to Bishop Bataillon, onto which Bataillon's brother, Jacques, began building a church and a parish house. The first stone was blessed by the bishop on 8 December 1852, but work was interrupted by epidemics and a tropical cyclone in 1854, which destroyed eight ships and caused great damage to the plantations, resulting in problems with the food supply. As a result, the church was completed in 1857.

The church stood in the same place as the current one, while the residence was near Mulivai.[7]

See also

References

  1. ^ Mulivai Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception
  2. ^ Planet, Lonely (1 November 2016). Lonely Planet South Pacific. Lonely Planet. ISBN 9781786577344.
  3. ^ "Cathedral of Mulivai on The Catholic Directory". The Catholic Directory. Retrieved 10 February 2017.
  4. ^ Planet, Lonely (1 November 2016). Lonely Planet Rarotonga, Samoa & Tonga. Lonely Planet. ISBN 9781786577313.
  5. ^ Cybriwsky, Roman Adrian (23 May 2013). Capital Cities around the World: An Encyclopedia of Geography, History, and Culture: An Encyclopedia of Geography, History, and Culture. ABC-CLIO. ISBN 9781610692489.
  6. ^ "New Catholic Cathedral influenced by Roman designs". Talamua On-line News. 25 May 2014. Archived from the original on 11 February 2017. Retrieved 10 February 2017.
  7. ^ Clisby, Edward. "Br Jacques Peloux to Fr Colin, Port of Apia, Samoa, 15 December 1852". mariststudies.org. Translated by Clisby, Edward. Retrieved 31 March 2018.

13°49′55.9″S 171°45′59.49″W / 13.832194°S 171.7665250°W / -13.832194; -171.7665250

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