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The Immaculate Conception Cathedral (also called Cathedral of Apia or Mulivai Cathedral) is the
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
Catholic
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 ...
cathedral
A cathedral is a church that contains the '' cathedra'' () of a bishop, thus serving as the central church of a diocese, conference, or episcopate. Churches with the function of "cathedral" are usually specific to those Christian denomination ...
in Apia
Apia () is the Capital (political), capital and largest city of Samoa, as well as the nation's only city. It is located on the central north coast of Upolu, Samoa's second-largest island. Apia falls within the political district (''itūmālō ...
, the capital of Samoa
Samoa, officially the Independent State of Samoa; sm, Sāmoa, and until 1997 known as Western Samoa, is a Polynesian island country consisting of two main islands (Savai'i and Upolu); two smaller, inhabited islands (Manono Island, Manono an ...
, a insular country in Oceania. It suffered damage in the earthquake of 2009, and has undergone restoration and extension.
The congregation follows the Roman or Latin rite
Latin liturgical rites, or Western liturgical rites, are Catholic rites of public worship employed by the Latin Church, the largest particular church ''sui iuris'' of the Catholic Church, that originated in Europe where the Latin language once ...
and is the mother church of the Archdiocese of Samoa–Apia (Latin
Latin (, or , ) is a classical language belonging to the Italic branch of the Indo-European languages. Latin was originally a dialect spoken in the lower Tiber area (then known as Latium) around present-day Rome, but through the power of the ...
: ''Archidioecesis Samoa–Apiana''; Samoan: ''Fa'aAkiepikopo Samoa–Apia''), which was created in 1966 by Pope Paul VI
Pope Paul VI ( la, Paulus VI; it, Paolo VI; born Giovanni Battista Enrico Antonio Maria Montini, ; 26 September 18976 August 1978) was head of the Catholic Church and sovereign of the Vatican City, Vatican City State from 21 June 1963 to his ...
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
New Zealand ( mi, Aotearoa ) is an island country in the southwestern Pacific Ocean. It consists of two main landmasses—the North Island () and the South Island ()—and over 700 smaller islands. It is the sixth-largest island count ...
. The church was rebuilt on the site of the original cathedral, which dated from 1857.
History
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
A tropical cyclone is a rapidly rotating storm system characterized by a low-pressure center, a closed low-level atmospheric circulation, strong winds, and a spiral arrangement of thunderstorms that produce heavy rain and squalls. Depend ...
in 1854, which destroyed eight ships and caused great damage to the plantations, resulting in problems with the food supply
Food security speaks to the availability of food in a country (or geography) and the ability of individuals within that country (geography) to access, afford, and source adequate foodstuffs. According to the United Nations' Committee on World ...
. 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.
See also
*Roman Catholicism in Samoa
The Catholic Church in Samoa is part of the worldwide Catholic Church, which, initiated by the life, death and resurrection of Jesus Christ, and under the spiritual leadership of the Pope and Roman curia in the Vatican City (within Rome) is the l ...
*Immaculate Conception
The Immaculate Conception is the belief that the Virgin Mary was free of original sin from the moment of her conception.
It is one of the four Marian dogmas of the Catholic Church, meaning that it is held to be a divinely revealed truth w ...
References
{{Coord, 13, 49, 55.9, S, 171, 45, 59.49, W, display=title Roman Catholic churches completed in 2014 Buildings and structures in Apia Roman Catholic churches in Samoa Roman Catholic cathedrals in Oceania