Bissau Cathedral ( pt, Catedral de Bissau), also known as Sé Catedral de Nossa Senhora da Candelária (Cathedral of Our Lady of Candelaria) is a Catholic cathedral in

Bissau Bissau () is the capital, and largest city of Guinea-Bissau. Bissau had a population of 492,004. Bissau is located on the Geba River estuary, off the Atlantic Ocean, and is Guinea-Bissau's largest city, major port, and its administrative and m ...

Guinea-Bissau Guinea-Bissau ( ; pt, Guiné-Bissau; ff, italic=no, 𞤘𞤭𞤲𞤫 𞤄𞤭𞤧𞤢𞥄𞤱𞤮, Gine-Bisaawo, script=Adlm; Mandinka: ''Gine-Bisawo''), officially the Republic of Guinea-Bissau ( pt, República da Guiné-Bissau, links=no ) ...

. It is the centre of the

Catholic Church in Guinea-Bissau The Catholic Church in Guinea-Bissau is part of the worldwide Catholic Church, under the spiritual leadership of the Pope in Rome. There are about 126,026 Catholics in Guinea-Bissau, or about 8.9% of the total population. There are two dioceses: ...

. The cathedral is the seat of

Diocese of Bissau The Roman Catholic Diocese of Bissau ( la, Bissagen(sis)) is a diocese located in the city of Bissau in Guinea-Bissau. History Pope Pius XII created a Mission “sui iuris” comprising the then overseas colony of Portuguese Guinea on Septembe ...

, which was created in 1977. Situated in the downtown area of Bissau, it is noted for its function as a

lighthouse A lighthouse is a tower, building, or other type of physical structure designed to emit light from a system of lamps and lenses and to serve as a beacon for navigational aid, for maritime pilots at sea or on inland waterways. Lighthouses mar ...

. Services are held in

Portuguese language Portuguese ( or, in full, ) is a western Romance language of the Indo-European language family, originating in the Iberian Peninsula of Europe. It is an official language of Portugal, Brazil, Cape Verde, Angola, Mozambique, Guinea-Bissau and ...

History

The original church was built in medieval architectural style in 1935. Built in the same location, the current cathedral replaced the original church. The architects of the current cathedral were João Simões and Galhardo Zilhão. Construction began in 1945 and was completed in 1950. Later renovation is attributed to the architect Lucínio Cruz. The cathedral has hosted numerous inauguration ceremonies. It was visited on 27 January 1990 by

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 ...

. On 9 August 1998, Bishop

Settimio Ferrazzetta Settimio Arturo Ferrazzetta O.F.M. (Selva di Progno, Verona, 8 December 1924- Bissau, 26 January 1999) was an Italian-born Guinea-Bissauan Roman Catholic bishop. He was ordained a priest at the Order of Friars Minor on 1 July 1951. In 1955 he w ...

gave a prominent speech at the cathedral, in which he denounced violence in the country; he was buried in the cathedral upon his death, the following year.

Architecture and fittings

The building, set slightly away from the avenue, is square in form. Its architectural style is characterized as "modernized neo-romantic." The cathedral is noted for its function as a lighthouse, with the light installed on its high north tower. It has a steady green light (fl. 2s, ec . 7s) and is operational. The light guides ships through the

Geba River The Geba is a river of West Africa that rises in the northernmost area of Guinea in the Fouta Djallon highlands, passes through southern Senegal, and reaches the Atlantic Ocean in Guinea-Bissau. It is about in total length. In Senegal, the r ...

estuary An estuary is a partially enclosed coastal body of brackish water with one or more rivers or streams flowing into it, and with a free connection to the open sea. Estuaries form a transition zone between river environments and maritime environment ...

to the

Port of Bissau The Port of Bissau, also known as Porto Pidjiguiti, is the chief port of Guinea-Bissau. Located on Geba River, it serves the capital of Bissau. It has two piers and a jetty. The port's Pidjiguiti docks were the site of the Pidjiguiti massacre on 3 ...

. It is maintained by the Capitania dos Portos, Serviços de Marinha.

References

{{Commons category, Catedral de Bissau Roman Catholic cathedrals in Guinea-Bissau Buildings and structures in Bissau Lighthouses in Guinea-Bissau Roman Catholic churches completed in 1950 20th-century Roman Catholic church buildings