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/ref> In April 2013, after a visit to the site to inspect its condition, the diocese announced plans to rebuild the cathedral in the near future.
Photos of the Cathedral's interior
Video of 2014 Cathedral's ruins
{{Somalia italiana (Colonia) Buildings and structures in Mogadishu Roman Catholic churches completed in 1928 Catholic Church in Somalia 1928 establishments in Italian Somaliland Roman Catholic cathedrals in Somalia 20th-century Roman Catholic church buildings Churches destroyed by Muslims
Mogadishu Cathedral ( it, Cattedrale di Mogadiscio) is a ruined
After 1991, the cathedral was no longer regularly used. In late 2008, much of the Catholic cathedral was destroyed.Articolo del Giornale, 3 ottobre 2008
/ref> A
correspondent later visited the site in 2012 and reported that some internally displaced people had formed tent settlements on the cathedral grounds. This was in stark contrast to the many new shops that had opened outside, where merchants, optimistic about the city's relative stability since the ousting of the insurgents, had begun to publicly advertise their wares again. The correspondent also mentioned that although the cathedral had structurally incurred considerable damage by having its roof blown off among other things, its walls were still erect, its elegant stone arches still in place, and the general atmosphere was one of serenity.Somalia's Graveyard of Grand and Beautiful BuildingsRoman 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 located in Mogadishu
Mogadishu (, also ; so, Muqdisho or ; ar, مقديشو ; it, Mogadiscio ), locally known as Xamar or Hamar, is the capital and most populous city of Somalia. The city has served as an important port connecting traders across the Indian Oc ...
, Somalia
Somalia, , Osmanya script: 𐒈𐒝𐒑𐒛𐒐𐒘𐒕𐒖; ar, الصومال, aṣ-Ṣūmāl officially the Federal Republic of SomaliaThe ''Federal Republic of Somalia'' is the country's name per Article 1 of thProvisional Constituti ...
. Between 1928 and 1991, it served as the seat of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Mogadiscio. Built in 1928 by Italian colonial authorities, much of the building was destroyed in 2008 by al-Shabaab. In 2013, the diocese announced plans to refurbish the building.
History
Mogadishu Cathedral was built in 1928 by the Italian authorities in the formerItalian Somaliland
Italian Somalia ( it, Somalia Italiana; ar, الصومال الإيطالي, Al-Sumal Al-Italiy; so, Dhulka Talyaaniga ee Soomaalida), was a protectorate and later colony of the Kingdom of Italy in present-day Somalia. Ruled in the 19th centu ...
. Known as the Cattedrale di Mogadiscio, it was constructed in a Norman Gothic style, based on the 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 ...
of Cefalù, in Sicily
(man) it, Siciliana (woman)
, population_note =
, population_blank1_title =
, population_blank1 =
, demographics_type1 = Ethnicity
, demographics1_footnotes =
, demographi ...
. It was built in nearly six years by the Italian authorities in their former Italian Somaliland, in a central area of the capital not far from the Governor's Palace.
Indeed, the cathedral was built as the biggest in eastern Africa by order of Cesare Maria De Vecchi
Cesare Maria De Vecchi, 1st Conte di Val Cismon (14 November 1884 – 23 June 1959) was an Italian soldier, colonial administrator and Fascist politician.
Biography
De Vecchi was born in Casale Monferrato on 14 November 1884. After graduating ...
, governor of Italian Somaliland who promoted the Christianization of Somali people. It was built between 1923 and 1928 and was used as a model the "Cathedral of Cefalu" (in northern Sicily), created to commemorate the Christian reconquest of Sicily from the Arabs in the 10th century.
The cathedral was done in Norman Gothic style
Gothic or Gothics may refer to:
People and languages
*Goths or Gothic people, the ethnonym of a group of East Germanic tribes
**Gothic language, an extinct East Germanic language spoken by the Goths
** Crimean Gothic, the Gothic language spoken ...
, designed by architect Antonio Vandone. The facade was delimited to the sides by two towers, each 37.50 meters high. The plan of the building was a Latin cross
A Latin cross or ''crux immissa'' is a type of cross in which the vertical beam sticks above the crossbeam, with the three upper arms either equally long or with the vertical topmost arm shorter than the two horizontal arms, and always with a mu ...
; inside was divided into three naves separated by piers with pointed arches. The church was entrusted to the Consolata missionaries, then replaced by the Franciscans
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, caption = A cross, Christ's arm and Saint Francis's arm, a universal symbol of the Franciscans
, abbreviation = OFM
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(Friars Minor).
In 1989, on the eve of the outbreak of the civil war
A civil war or intrastate war is a war between organized groups within the same state (or country).
The aim of one side may be to take control of the country or a region, to achieve independence for a region, or to change government policies ...
in Somalia, the last Bishop of Mogadishu, Salvatore Colombo, was killed by armed insurgents while celebrating Mass in the cathedral. The assassination of Bishop Colombo remains unsolved, despite calls from Somali officials for the case's investigation.
Current situation
After 1991, the cathedral was no longer regularly used. In late 2008, much of the Catholic cathedral was destroyed./ref> A
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.../ref> In April 2013, after a visit to the site to inspect its condition, the diocese announced plans to rebuild the cathedral in the near future.
See also
* Roman Catholicism in Somalia * Christianity in SomaliaReferences
Bibliography
* Guida d'Italia del Touring Club Italiano. - Possedimenti e Colonie, Milano 1929, p. 757. * D. Paladini. ''Omicidio a Mogadiscio - L'ultimo vescovo al crepuscolo della Somalia'' Paoline Editoriale Libri. Roma,2006External links
Photos of the Cathedral's interior
Video of 2014 Cathedral's ruins
{{Somalia italiana (Colonia) Buildings and structures in Mogadishu Roman Catholic churches completed in 1928 Catholic Church in Somalia 1928 establishments in Italian Somaliland Roman Catholic cathedrals in Somalia 20th-century Roman Catholic church buildings Churches destroyed by Muslims