Cathedral of Our Lady of the Assumption ( French: ''Cathédrale Notre-Dame-de-l'Assomption de Matâ'Utu''), also known as Matâ'Utu Cathedral, is a

Roman Catholic Roman or Romans most often refers to: *Rome, the capital city of Italy * Ancient Rome, Roman civilization from 8th century BC to 5th century AD * Roman people, the people of ancient Rome *'' Epistle to the Romans'', shortened to ''Romans'', a let ...

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 denominatio ...

, and a national monument of

France France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic, Pacific and Indian Oceans. Its metropolitan area ...

, located in the town of

Mata Utu Mata Utu (; ʻUvean: Matāutu, ) is the capital city of Wallis and Futuna, an overseas collectivity of France. It is located on the island of Uvéa (Uvea), in the district of Hahake, of which it is also the capital. It is one of two ports in Wa ...

Uvea The uvea (; Lat. ''uva'', "grape"), also called the ''uveal layer'', ''uveal coat'', ''uveal tract'', ''vascular tunic'' or ''vascular layer'' is the pigmented middle of the three concentric layers that make up an eye. History and etymolog ...

, in

Wallis and Futuna Wallis and Futuna, officially the Territory of the Wallis and Futuna Islands (; french: Wallis-et-Futuna or ', Fakauvea and Fakafutuna: '), is a French island collectivity in the South Pacific, situated between Tuvalu to the northwest, Fiji ...

. It is a dominant edifice in downtown Mata-Utu town, capital of Wallis Island. It bears the royal insignia of Wallis, a Maltese cross between its towers. The cathedral is also known as the "Our Lady of Good Hope Cathedral". It is the seat of Bishop

Susitino Sionepoe Susitino Sionepoe S.M. (born January 4, 1965) is a Futunan Catholic prelate and the current Bishop of Wallis et Futuna. He was consecrated on March 24, 2019, by Archbishop Michel-Marie-Bernard Calvet in Mata'Utu, the Capital of Wallis and Futuna ...

Geography

The cathedral overlooks the Wallis lagoon from Mata-Utu, which is the largest town and capital of

Wallis Island Wallis ( Wallisian: ''Uvea'') is a Polynesian atoll/island in the Pacific Ocean belonging to the French overseas collectivity (''collectivité d'outre-mer'', or ''COM'') of Wallis and Futuna. It lies north of Tonga, northeast of Fiji, east-n ...

and the territory as a whole. The Palace of the King of Uvéa, which features two-storey verandas, adjoins the cathedral. On the opposite side of the wharf is a platform known as Fale Fono which was used by Chief of the local tribes to address people. Several restaurants, markets, hotels and the post office are near the cathedral.

Features

The massive stone cathedral was built by the

Marists The Society of Mary ( la, Societas Mariae) abbreviated SM, commonly known as the Marist Fathers, is a men's Roman Catholic clerical religious congregation of pontifical right. It was founded by Jean-Claude Colin and a group of seminarians in ...

, a French Roman Catholic religious order. The imposing cathedral is built with blue volcanic stones, chiseled and trimmed by hand. It has two prominent towers, rectangular in shape, dominating the landscape near the

wharf A wharf, quay (, also ), staith, or staithe is a structure on the shore of a harbour or on the bank of a river or canal where ships may dock to load and unload cargo or passengers. Such a structure includes one or more berths (mooring locatio ...

. Between the two towers, a blue Maltese cross has been affixed, which also appears on the flag of Wallis. The massive cathedral structure represents a distinctive "bulwark of Gaulish Catholicism". In 1951, construction of a coral block cathedral began.

References

External links

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Location of the cathedral
{{DEFAULTSORT:Mata-Utu Cathedral Roman Catholic cathedrals in Wallis and Futuna Monuments historiques of France Catholic Church in Wallis and Futuna Buildings and structures in Wallis and Futuna Tourist attractions in Wallis and Futuna Mata-Utu 1951 establishments in France