The St. Catherine's Cathedral ( ar, كاتدرائية سانت كاترين) is the

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 lette ...

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

Apostolic Vicariate of Alexandria of Egypt The Apostolic Vicariate of Alexandria of Egypt, or in full - of Alexandria of Egypt-Heliopolis-Port Said ( la, Vicariatus Apostolicus Alexandrinus) is the Roman Catholic Apostolic vicariate (missionary ordinariate) in Egypt, named after its ca ...

. It also serves as the church of the

Franciscan The Franciscans are a group of related Mendicant orders, mendicant Christianity, Christian Catholic religious order, religious orders within the Catholic Church. Founded in 1209 by Italian Catholic friar Francis of Assisi, these orders include t ...

monastery in

Alexandria Alexandria ( or ; ar, ٱلْإِسْكَنْدَرِيَّةُ ; grc-gre, Αλεξάνδρεια, Alexándria) is the second largest city in Egypt, and the largest city on the Mediterranean coast. Founded in by Alexander the Great, Alexandria ...

History

The

basilica In Ancient Roman architecture, a basilica is a large public building with multiple functions, typically built alongside the town's forum. The basilica was in the Latin West equivalent to a stoa in the Greek East. The building gave its name ...

was built from 1847 to 1856 in the

Neo-Baroque style The Baroque Revival, also known as Neo-Baroque (or Second Empire architecture in France and Wilhelminism in Germany), was an architectural style of the late 19th century. The term is used to describe architecture and architectural sculptur ...

, designed by the Franciscan architect Serafino da Baceno. The Franciscans have been present since the seventeenth century in Alexandria, where it is particularly concerned by European pilgrims who were on their way to the

Holy Land The Holy Land; Arabic: or is an area roughly located between the Mediterranean Sea and the Eastern Bank of the Jordan River, traditionally synonymous both with the biblical Land of Israel and with the region of Palestine. The term "Holy ...

. In the 1840s the new buildings of the convent and school were founded. The new church, a basilica with classical dome also conceived as the cathedral of the Apostolic Vicariate, established in 1839, and received the name of the martyr

Catherine of Alexandria Catherine of Alexandria (also spelled Katherine); grc-gre, ἡ Ἁγία Αἰκατερίνη ἡ Μεγαλομάρτυς ; ar, سانت كاترين; la, Catharina Alexandrina). is, according to tradition, a Christian saint and virgin, wh ...

. The dedication took place on November 24, 1850. In 1927, the current facade, designed by the Italian architect

Mario Avena is a character created by Japanese video game designer Shigeru Miyamoto. He is the title character of the ''Mario'' franchise and the mascot of Japanese video game company Nintendo. Mario has appeared in over 200 video games since his cre ...

(1896-1968 or 1969) in the

Roman Baroque Roman Baroque may refer to either: * Styles in Rome of any form of the arts in the Baroque period, roughly from 1600 to the late 18th century. Rome was a leading centre for Baroque architecture and Baroque painting in particular. * Styles in anc ...

style was added. It was the place of burial of exiled Italian king

Victor Emmanuel III The name Victor or Viktor may refer to: * Victor (name), including a list of people with the given name, mononym, or surname Arts and entertainment Film * ''Victor'' (1951 film), a French drama film * ''Victor'' (1993 film), a French shor ...

upon his death in 1947 until his remains were repatriated to Italy in 2017.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Saint Catherine's Cathedral, Alexandria European diaspora in Egypt Roman Catholic cathedrals in Egypt Churches in Alexandria 1850 establishments in Egypt Roman Catholic churches completed in 1850 Baroque church buildings 19th-century Roman Catholic church buildings 19th-century churches in Egypt

History

See also

References