Brickdam Cathedral, more formally known as the Cathedral of Immaculate Conception, is the Roman Catholic cathedral in Georgetown, Guyana, and is the leading Catholic church of the country. Built in the 1920s, it is constructed in a Romanesque architectural style designed by

Leonard Stokes Leonard Aloysius Scott Stokes (1858 – 25 December 1925) was an English architect and artist. Leonard Stokes was born in Southport (then in Lancashire) in 1858 the son of Scott Nasmyth Stokes, a school inspector. He trained in London and tra ...

, and is 200 feet long and 1,000 feet wide. The centre ceiling is 60 feet 6 inches high, and the dome reaches 74 feet 10 inches. In 1819 the Catholic Committee (Messrs Fitzgerald, De Ridder, Manget, Milne and Franckland) made a request for the construction of a church at Brickdam on a portion of the old parade ground. Governor

Sir Benjamin D'Urban Lieutenant General Sir Benjamin D'Urban (16 February 1777 – 25 May 1849) was a British general and colonial administrator, who is best known for his frontier policy when he was the Governor in the Cape Colony (now in South Africa). Early ...

laid the foundation stone of the first church on 12 December 1825. Initially named Christ Church, it was later renamed circa 1847 the Church of the Resurrection. Small and plainly designed, this church was replaced by the Lady Chapel, built on the southern side of Camp and Hadfield Streets. This chapel was soon dismantled and re-erected at Victoria, where it stood until 1921. The foundation stone for St. Mary's Chapel was laid in the presence of Governor

Sir Francis Hincks Sir Francis Hincks, (December 14, 1807 – August 18, 1885) was a Canadian businessman, politician, and British colonial administrator. An immigrant from Ireland, he was the Co-Premier of the Province of Canada (1851–1854), Governor of Barb ...

on 21 April 1868. The main building was designed by

Cesar Castellani Cesar Castellani (died 2 August 1905) was an architect. He was born in Malta. He was attracted by the prosperity of British Guiana and emigrated there in 1860 with a group of Italian priests. Designs Castellani designed a number of prominent build ...

and the tower was designed by Fr.

Ignatius Scoles Ignatius Scoles SJ (1 December 1834 – 15 July 1896) was a Roman Catholic Jesuit priest, architect and writer. He designed churches and civic buildings and was the son of Joseph John Scoles.Guyana Times International' accessed 26 March 2013 Earl ...

. This cathedral (including the sanctuary) was 120 feet long and 75 feet wide. Constructed of greenheart and crabwood, the cathedral was described by Fr. Scoles "as a fine piece of Gothic design as one could expect to meet within Western tropics". Rooms-Katholieke Kerk, interieur - 20652759 - RCE

Rooms-Katholieke Kerk, interieur - 20652759 - RCE

On 7 March 1913 the cathedral was destroyed by fire. On the next Sunday (9 March) Catholic Mayor of Georgetown, Francis Dias, called a meeting where it was decided to raise funds for a new cathedral. On 15 August 1915 Bishop CT Galton laid the foundation stone of the present cathedral. Construction took 10 years (1921–1931), using reinforced concrete. Granite stone came from the Dalli and Wolga quarries on the

Essequibo River The Essequibo River (Spanish: ''Río Esequibo'' originally called by Alonso de Ojeda ''Río Dulce'') is the largest river in Guyana, and the largest river between the Orinoco and Amazon. Rising in the Acarai Mountains near the Brazil–Guyana bor ...

, and the sand came from

Leguan Island Leguan Island is a small island situated in the delta of the Essequibo River on the coast of Guyana, South America. The island is shaped like a gull wing and is nine miles (14 km) long and wide at its widest making it roughly square in are ...

. The incomplete cathedral was opened by Bishop Galton on 13 March 1921. The

marble Marble is a metamorphic rock composed of recrystallized carbonate minerals, most commonly calcite or Dolomite (mineral), dolomite. Marble is typically not Foliation (geology), foliated (layered), although there are exceptions. In geology, the ...

altar An altar is a table or platform for the presentation of religious offerings, for sacrifices, or for other ritualistic purposes. Altars are found at shrines, temples, churches, and other places of worship. They are used particularly in paga ...

was erected in 1930, and is a gift from

Pope Pius XI Pope Pius XI ( it, Pio XI), born Ambrogio Damiano Achille Ratti (; 31 May 1857 – 10 February 1939), was head of the Catholic Church from 6 February 1922 to his death in February 1939. He was the first sovereign of Vatican City fro ...

to Bishop Galton. The marble

pulpit A pulpit is a raised stand for preachers in a Christian church. The origin of the word is the Latin ''pulpitum'' (platform or staging). The traditional pulpit is raised well above the surrounding floor for audibility and visibility, access ...

is a memorial to the Fogarty family. A metal shrine to the Virgin Mary atop the western facade is a memento of St. Mary's Cathedral. The shrine adorned the pinnacle of the earlier building's steeple, and survived its fall during the 1913 fire.

References

nationaltrust.gov.gy

External links

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Aerial view
{{Buildings in Guyana Roman Catholic cathedrals in Guyana Christianity in Georgetown, Guyana Cathedrals in Guyana Roman Catholic churches completed in 1921 20th-century Roman Catholic church buildings Buildings and structures in Georgetown, Guyana