Notre Dame Cathedral (

French French (french: français(e), link=no) may refer to: * Something of, from, or related to France ** French language, which originated in France, and its various dialects and accents ** French people, a nation and ethnic group identified with Franc ...

: ''Cathédrale Notre-Dame de Taiohae''; ') is a 20th-century church that serves as 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 denomination ...

of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Taiohae or Tefenuaenata. It is located in the Meau Valley near the capital centre on the island of Nuku Hiva. The construction of the cathedral began in 1973 on the site of an earlier 19th-century church by the same name. The new cathedral opened in 1977. It is the largest church on the

Marquesas Islands The Marquesas Islands (; french: Îles Marquises or ' or '; Marquesan: ' ( North Marquesan) and ' ( South Marquesan), both meaning "the land of men") are a group of volcanic islands in French Polynesia, an overseas collectivity of France in th ...

History

In the 19th century,

France France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of Overseas France, overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic Ocean, Atlantic, Pacific Ocean, Pac ...

began expanding its colonial empire into

Asia Asia (, ) is one of the world's most notable geographical regions, which is either considered a continent in its own right or a subcontinent of Eurasia, which shares the continental landmass of Afro-Eurasia with Africa. Asia covers an area ...

and the Pacific Islands, conquering Tahuata in 1842. Soon, the rest of the

fell under French rule. Even though the colonial administrators chose to focus most of their resources on

Tahiti Tahiti (; Tahitian ; ; previously also known as Otaheite) is the largest island of the Windward group of the Society Islands in French Polynesia. It is located in the central part of the Pacific Ocean and the nearest major landmass is Austr ...

—believing it was the more valuable of the two islands—Catholic missionaries, nevertheless, continued spreading the faith. Their persistence paid off and an apostolic vicariate was established on May 9, 1848. Construction of the cathedral most likely started after this time. It was built on land that was treated as sacred ground by the ancient Marquesans and was completed in the later part of the 19th century. Almost a century later, construction on a new cathedral commenced in 1973; it was completed four years later in 1977. The two

bell tower A bell tower is a tower that contains one or more bells, or that is designed to hold bells even if it has none. Such a tower commonly serves as part of a Christian church, and will contain church bells, but there are also many secular bell tower ...

s and a section of the wall from the old cathedral were preserved and are now utilized as part of the entrance to the cathedral compound.

Architecture

Exterior

The entrance of the cathedral is flanked by statues of

Saint Peter Saint Peter; he, שמעון בר יונה, Šimʿōn bar Yōnāh; ar, سِمعَان بُطرُس, translit=Simʿa̅n Buṭrus; grc-gre, Πέτρος, Petros; cop, Ⲡⲉⲧⲣⲟⲥ, Petros; lat, Petrus; ar, شمعون الصفـا, Sham'un ...

and

Saint Paul Paul; grc, Παῦλος, translit=Paulos; cop, ⲡⲁⲩⲗⲟⲥ; hbo, פאולוס השליח (previously called Saul of Tarsus;; ar, بولس الطرسوسي; grc, Σαῦλος Ταρσεύς, Saũlos Tarseús; tr, Tarsuslu Pavlus; ...

carved from rosewood. The exterior walls of the church are made of wood and stone, with "elaborately carved" doors at the entrance. The stones were given by each of the six inhabited islands of the Marquesas.

Interior

The interior of the church is noted for its mixture of European and local

Marquesan The Marquesas Islands (; french: Îles Marquises or ' or '; Marquesan: ' ( North Marquesan) and ' ( South Marquesan), both meaning "the land of men") are a group of volcanic islands in French Polynesia, an overseas collectivity of France in th ...

features in its design. This is demonstrated in numerous pieces of art adorning the cathedral. An artwork entitled ''The Passion'', the

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 ...

and the

Stations of the Cross The Stations of the Cross or the Way of the Cross, also known as the Way of Sorrows or the Via Crucis, refers to a series of images depicting Jesus Christ on the day of Crucifixion of Jesus, his crucifixion and accompanying prayers. The station ...

were all carved from whole ''

tamanu ''Calophyllum inophyllum'' is a large evergreen plant, commonly called tamanu, oil-nut, mastwood, beach calophyllum or beautyleaf. It is native to tropical Asia and Wallacea. Due to its importance as a source of timber for the traditional shipbu ...

'' trees, with the stations having been carved by Damien Haturau. The first station shows

Jesus Jesus, likely from he, יֵשׁוּעַ, translit=Yēšūaʿ, label=Hebrew/Aramaic ( AD 30 or 33), also referred to as Jesus Christ or Jesus of Nazareth (among other names and titles), was a first-century Jewish preacher and religious ...

praying in the Garden of Gethsemane at the Mount of

Breadfruit Breadfruit (''Artocarpus altilis'') is a species of flowering tree in the mulberry and jackfruit family (Moraceae) believed to be a domesticated descendant of ''Artocarpus camansi'' originating in New Guinea, the Maluku Islands, and the Philippi ...

—as opposed to the Mount of Olives. The pulpit has the symbols of the Four Evangelists carved into it, with the floor behind it laid with Ua Pou flower stones.

References

External links

Location of the cathedral
{{Portal bar, Catholicism, France, Architecture Catholic Church in French Polynesia Cathedrals in French Polynesia Marquesas Islands Monuments historiques of France Roman Catholic churches completed in 1977 20th-century Roman Catholic church buildings Roman Catholic cathedrals in French Polynesia