The Our Lady of Grace Cathedral ( pt, Sé Catedral de Nossa Senhora da Graça), also called Cathedral of São Tomé, is a church in the city of

São Tomé São Tomé is the capital and largest city of the Central African island country of São Tomé and Príncipe. Its name is Portuguese for " Saint Thomas". Founded in the 15th century, it is one of Africa's oldest colonial cities. History Álva ...

, capital of the African and island country of

São Tomé and Príncipe São Tomé and Príncipe (; pt, São Tomé e Príncipe (); English: " Saint Thomas and Prince"), officially the Democratic Republic of São Tomé and Príncipe ( pt, República Democrática de São Tomé e Príncipe), is a Portuguese-speaking i ...

. It is 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 São Tomé and Príncipe The Roman Catholic Diocese of São Tomé and Príncipe ( la, Sancti Thomae in Insula) is a diocese, immediately subject to the Holy See, with its seat in the city of São Tomé in São Tomé and Príncipe.Presidential Palace.Cathedral São Tomé
Heritage of Portuguese Influence Construction of the first church of Our Lady of Grace was started at the end of the fifteenth century under Captain Álvaro de Caminha. This church was situated near the present cathedral. It became the seat of a diocese in 1534. The building was reconstructed between 1576 and 1578, during the reign of King

Sebastian of Portugal Sebastian ( pt, Sebastião I ; 20 January 1554 – 4 August 1578) was King of Portugal from 11 June 1557 to 4 August 1578 and the penultimate Portuguese monarch of the House of Aviz. He was the son of João Manuel, Prince of Portugal, and hi ...

. In 1784, it was in poor condition with the frontispiece broken. In 1814 it was rebuilt at the initiative of the local population. The last modification was made in 1956, when the church was remodeled in an eclectic revival style, with a

neo-romanesque Romanesque Revival (or Neo-Romanesque) is a style of building employed beginning in the mid-19th century inspired by the 11th- and 12th-century Romanesque architecture. Unlike the historic Romanesque style, Romanesque Revival buildings tended to ...

main façade.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Our Lady of Grace Cathedral, Church Buildings and structures in São Tomé Portuguese colonial architecture in São Tomé and Príncipe Roman Catholic cathedrals in Africa Roman Catholic churches completed in 1578 Roman Catholic churches in São Tomé and Príncipe 16th-century Roman Catholic church buildings in Africa

See also

References