The Assumpta Cathedral also called Owerri Cathedral Is the name given to a religious building belonging to the

Catholic Church The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with 1.3 billion baptized Catholics worldwide . It is among the world's oldest and largest international institutions, and has played a ...

which is located in the city of

Owerri Owerri ( , ) is the capital city of Imo State in Nigeria, set in the heart of Igboland. It is also the state's largest city, followed by Orlu, Okigwe and Ohaji/Egbema. Owerri consists of three Local Government Areas including Owerri Municipal, ...

, the capital of the state of Imo in the southeastern part of the African country of

Nigeria Nigeria ( ), , ig, Naìjíríyà, yo, Nàìjíríà, pcm, Naijá , ff, Naajeeriya, kcg, Naijeriya officially the Federal Republic of Nigeria, is a country in West Africa. It is situated between the Sahel to the north and the Gulf o ...

. As its name indicates, it is dedicated to the

Catholic dogma A dogma of the Catholic Church is defined as "a truth revealed by God, which the magisterium of the Church declared as binding." The '' Catechism of the Catholic Church'' states: Dogma can also pertain to the collective body of the church's d ...

of The

Assumption of the Virgin Mary The Assumption of Mary is one of the four Marian dogmas of the Catholic Church. Pope Pius XII defined it in 1950 in his apostolic constitution ''Munificentissimus Deus'' as follows: We proclaim and define it to be a dogma revealed by Go ...

. The temple follows the Roman or Latin rite and is the main church of the Metropolitan Archdiocese of Owerri (''Archidioecesis Overriensis'') which began as an apostolic vicariate in 1948 and obtained its current status in 1994 through the bull "Ad aptius efficaciusque" by then

Pope John Paul II Pope John Paul II ( la, Ioannes Paulus II; it, Giovanni Paolo II; pl, Jan Paweł II; born Karol Józef Wojtyła ; 18 May 19202 April 2005) was the head of the Catholic Church and sovereign of the Vatican City State from 1978 until his ...

. It is under the pastoral responsibility of Archbishop

Anthony John Valentine Obinna Anthony John Valentine Obinna (born 26 June 1946 in Emekukwu, Imo State, Nigeria) is a Nigerian priest and the archbishop of Owerri from 26 March 1994 until 6 March 2022. Biography Ordained as a priest on 1972, he incardinated in the Diocese o ...

History

Construction of the cathedral began in 1954 and was dedicated in 1980. The plan to build a modern cathedral in Owerri was led by the diocese and its Irish Bishop,

Joseph Brendan Whelan Bishop Joseph Brendan Whelan, C.S.Sp.(1909-1990), was an Irish Spiritan priest who served as Bishop of Owerri in Nigeria.. Early life and education Born 25 May 1909 in St Michael's Parish, Limerick City, his secondary schooling was at Blackrock ...

. Funds were sourced from church members and from abroad, in particular, Rome. An Irish priest, Rev. Christopher King who was also an architect supervised the construction of the structure right before the Civil War. The site chosen for the cathedral was at the outskirts of Owerri near an inter-state road junction that links Owerri to Port Harcourt,

Onitsha Onitsha ( or just ''Ọ̀nị̀chà'') is a city located on the eastern bank of the Niger River, in Anambra State, Nigeria. A metropolitan city, Onitsha is known for its river port and as an economic hub for commerce, industry, and education. ...

, and Aba. The commencement of the

Nigerian Civil War The Nigerian Civil War (6 July 1967 – 15 January 1970), also known as the Nigerian–Biafran War or the Biafran War, was a civil war fought between Nigeria and the Republic of Biafra, a secessionist state which had declared its independence f ...

impeded construction from 1967 to 1970. Before the war, construction had progressed and the main part of the building with the exception of the roof deck and covering was already finished. During the war, the site of the cathedral came under fire a few times because the dome was thought to be an observation post. The architectural style of the building is similar to

Renaissance The Renaissance ( , ) , from , with the same meanings. is a period in European history marking the transition from the Middle Ages to modernity and covering the 15th and 16th centuries, characterized by an effort to revive and surpass ideas ...

ecclesiastical. The structure of the church is designed in the shape of a

Greek cross The Christian cross, with or without a figure of Christ included, is the main religious symbol of Christianity. A cross with a figure of Christ affixed to it is termed a ''crucifix'' and the figure is often referred to as the ''corpus'' (La ...

with four

naves The nave () is the central part of a church, stretching from the (normally western) main entrance or rear wall, to the transepts, or in a church without transepts, to the chancel. When a church contains side aisles, as in a basilica-type b ...

of equal length spread in opposite directions and between the naves will four chapels. The altar is centrally located and has a dome that reaches 120 feet in height and 101 feet in diameter. The interior floor is made of marble while the material of the structure is reinforced concrete. The capacity of the building is 3,000.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Assumpta Cathedral, Church Roman Catholic cathedrals in Nigeria 20th-century Roman Catholic church buildings in Nigeria

History

See also

References