The Cathedral of Our Lady of the Assumption (french: Cathédrale Notre-Dame de L'Assomption), often called Port-au-Prince Cathedral (french: Cathédrale de Port-au-Prince), was a

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 ...

Port-au-Prince Port-au-Prince ( , ; ht, Pòtoprens ) is the capital and most populous city of Haiti. The city's population was estimated at 987,311 in 2015 with the metropolitan area estimated at a population of 2,618,894. The metropolitan area is define ...

Haiti Haiti (; ht, Ayiti ; French: ), officially the Republic of Haiti (); ) and formerly known as Hayti, is a country located on the island of Hispaniola in the Greater Antilles archipelago of the Caribbean Sea, east of Cuba and Jamaica, and ...

. Built between 1884 and 1914, it was dedicated on , and became the cathedral church of the

Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Port-au-Prince The Archdiocese of Port-au-Prince (erected 3 October 1861) is a metropolitan archdiocese, responsible for the suffragan dioceses of Jacmel, Jérémie, Anse-à-Veau and Miragoâne and Les Cayes. The archdiocese was a vacant see following th ...

. The cathedral was destroyed in the 12 January 2010 earthquake. Before its destruction, the

cupola In architecture, a cupola () is a relatively small, most often dome-like, tall structure on top of a building. Often used to provide a lookout or to admit light and air, it usually crowns a larger roof or dome. The word derives, via Italian, from ...

of the north tower of the Cathedral served as the front

lighthouse A lighthouse is a tower, building, or other type of physical structure designed to emit light from a system of lamps and lenses and to serve as a beacon for navigational aid, for maritime pilots at sea or on inland waterways. Lighthouses mar ...

of a pair guiding mariners into Port-au-Prince harbor.

Destruction

The roof and the towers flanking the main entrance collapsed in the 12 January 2010 earthquake, although the lower parts of the walls remain standing. The earthquake also destroyed the nunciature and the archdiocesan offices, killing Archbishop

Joseph Serge Miot Joseph Serge Miot (23 November 1946 – 12 January 2010) was a Haitian archbishop of the Roman Catholic Church. He was the ninth Archbishop of Port-au-Prince, serving from 2008 until his death as a result of the 12 January 2010 earthquake. ...

instantly and

Vicar General A vicar general (previously, archdeacon) is the principal deputy of the bishop of a diocese for the exercise of administrative authority and possesses the title of local ordinary. As vicar of the bishop, the vicar general exercises the bishop's ...

Charles Benoit later. File:Aerial view of Haitian National Cathedral from Global Hawk 2010-01-14.jpg, Remnants of the cathedral after its collapse. The aerial photo was taken 2 days after the earthquake of Tuesday, 12 January 2010. File:Notre Dame Catholic Cathedral Port-au-Prince (8070543162).jpg, Remnants of the cathedral after its collapse. File:Rubbles of the cathedral after the earthquake that hit the Capital Port au Prince just before 5 pm on 12 January 2010.jpg, Interior of the cathedral after its collapse.

Reconstruction

In March 2012, the Archdiocese of Port-au-Prince, in collaboration with Faith & Form magazine and the Institute for the Safeguarding of National Heritage (ISPAN), a Haitian-government institution, launched an international design competition inviting the architects from all over the world to submit ideas that would inform the reconstruction of the cathedral. Puerto Rican architect Segundo Cardona, FAIA from SCF Architects won the competition. He proposed to integrate and frame the facade of the old building, which survived the earthquake, with two new concrete towers, while the old

nave The nave () is the central part of a church, stretching from the (normally western) main entrance or rear wall, to the transepts, or in a church without transepts, to the chancel. When a church contains side aisles, as in a basilica-type ...

, whose pillars also partially survived, will be transformed into a covered courtyard. The religious ceremonies will take place at the level of the current transept under a vast room surmounted by a dome, underneath which will be the altar. The new design allows for a capacity of 1,200 faithful (capacity which can be raised to 600 additional persons thanks to the use of the covered yard). The interior of the new cathedral will be marked by the creative and abundant use of natural light, as the supply of electricity in Port-au-Prince is intermittent and expensive. "The winning design — sa modern interpretation of the traditional architecture of a cathedral .. Cardona’s other significant works include the Coliseum of San Juan and the Puerto Rico Pavilion built for the 1992 World Expo in

Seville, Spain Seville (; es, Sevilla, ) is the capital and largest city of the Spanish autonomous community of Andalusia and the province of Seville. It is situated on the lower reaches of the River Guadalquivir, in the southwest of the Iberian Peninsula ...

." The building remains in ruins as of 2021.

References

External links

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The Construction and the Deterioration of a National Treasure: Port-au-Prince CathedralImage of the destroyed cathedral
{{2010 Haiti earthquake 20th-century Roman Catholic church buildings in Haiti Buildings and structures in Port-au-Prince Roman Catholic cathedrals in Haiti 2010 disestablishments in Haiti Destroyed churches Roman Catholic churches completed in 1914 Buildings and structures demolished in 2010 1914 establishments in Haiti

Destruction

Reconstruction

See also

References

External links