The Cathedral Basilica of the Holy Family is a

Catholic Church The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the List of Christian denominations by number of members, largest Christian church, with 1.3 billion baptized Catholics Catholic Church by country, worldwide . It is am ...

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 denominations ...

and

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 nam ...

dedicated to the

Holy Family The Holy Family consists of the Child Jesus, the Virgin Mary and Saint Joseph. The subject became popular in art from the 1490s on, but veneration of the Holy Family was formally begun in the 17th century by Saint François de Laval, the fir ...

located around City Square in

Nairobi Nairobi ( ) is the capital and largest city of Kenya. The name is derived from the Maasai phrase ''Enkare Nairobi'', which translates to "place of cool waters", a reference to the Nairobi River which flows through the city. The city proper ...

, the Capital City of the Republic of

Kenya ) , national_anthem = " Ee Mungu Nguvu Yetu"() , image_map = , map_caption = , image_map2 = , capital = Nairobi , coordinates = , largest_city = Nairobi , ...

. The Basilica is the seat of the

Archdiocese of Nairobi The Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Nairobi ( la, Nairobien(sis)) is the Metropolitan See for the Ecclesiastical province of Nairobi in Kenya, and the Primatial see for Kenya. History *26 February 1860: Established as Apostolic Prefecture of Za ...

History

Holy Family basilica (Nairobi, Kenya) - interior

The congregation of the cathedral was originally composed of railway construction workers who lived in a camp nearby what would become the first

Nairobi Railway Station Nairobi railway station is a railway station located in Nairobi, Kenya. The station is on the metre gauge Uganda Railway, and previously provided services to Mombasa three times per week. However, in 2017, the new Mombasa-Nairobi Standard Gauge ...

. Under the administration of the

Holy Ghost Father , image = Holy Ghost Fathers seal.png , size = 175px , caption = The seal of the Congregation depicting the Immaculate Heart of Mary, and the Holy Spirit proceeding from the Trinity. , abbreviation ...

s, Brother Josaphat, C.S.S.P (Holy Ghost Missionary) was entrusted with the building of a church in 1904. With a sitting capacity of 300–400 people, it was the first stone building in Nairobi.Welcome to Holy Family Basilica
, Holy Family Basilica, Retrieved 28 October 2015Kenya: centenary celebrations at Nairobi's Basilica
2004, Independent Catholic News, Retrieved 28 October 2015 The first baptism took place in 1906, the first marriage in 1908, and first confirmation in 1923. The first

Archbishop of Nairobi The Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Nairobi ( la, Nairobien(sis)) is the Metropolitan See for the Ecclesiastical province of Nairobi in Kenya, and the Primatial see for Kenya. History *26 February 1860: Established as Apostolic Prefecture of Zan ...

was

John Joseph McCarthy Bishop John Joseph "J.J." McCarthy C.S.Sp. (27 April 1896 – 13 January 1983),Bishop J.J. McCarth ...

who was appointed in 1953 and he would serve until 1971 when he retired.Archbishop John Joseph McCarthy, C.S.Sp.
Catholic hierarchy, retrieved 28 October 2015 Dorothy Hughes, who was brought up in Kenya, designed the current building in 1960. The cathedral was constructed by the British company

Mowlem Mowlem was one of the largest construction and civil engineering companies in the United Kingdom. Carillion bought the firm in 2006. History The firm was founded by John Mowlem in 1822, and was continued as a partnership by successive generat ...

. The

modernist Modernism is both a philosophy, philosophical and arts movement that arose from broad transformations in Western world, Western society during the late 19th and early 20th centuries. The movement reflected a desire for the creation of new fo ...

cathedral features abstract stained glass in stainless steel frames. The cathedral's specification included details in

carrara marble Carrara marble, Luna marble to the Romans, is a type of white or blue-grey marble popular for use in sculpture and building decor. It has been quarried since Roman times in the mountains just outside the city of Carrara in the province of Massa ...

and seating for 3,000 to 4,000 people. This is ten times the number of the original stone church. The building is 98 feet high and features a large cross. Hughes' design features eight different chapels in addition to the two main halls. There is a main altar with a large crucifix and a large sanctuary, as well as two side altars. The church was visited by

John Paul II Pope John Paul II ( la, Ioannes Paulus II; it, Giovanni Paolo II; pl, Jan Paweł II; born Karol Józef Wojtyła ; 18 May 19202 April 2005) was the head of the Catholic Church and sovereign of the Vatican City State from 1978 until his ...

in 1980 and designated a basilica on 15 February 1982.Cathedral Basilica of the Holy Family
GCatholic.org, Retrieved 27 October 2015 John Paul prayed again at this church in 1985 and 1995. The Holy Ghost Fathers were responsible for the basilica until 1991. A new administrative building for the archbishop's office was being built by the Chinese construction company

Zhongxing Construction Zhongxing may refer to: Mainland China * Zhongxing Prefecture, capital of Western Xia dynasty * ZTE, or Zhong Xing Telecommunication Equipment Company Limited, a telecommunications equipment corporation * ZX Auto, automobile manufacturer whose f ...

in 2011.

Services

The cathedral is the headquarters of the Archdiocese of Nairobi. The current archbishop is Philip Anyolo who was made a

archbishop of Nairobi The Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Nairobi ( la, Nairobien(sis)) is the Metropolitan See for the Ecclesiastical province of Nairobi in Kenya, and the Primatial see for Kenya. History *26 February 1860: Established as Apostolic Prefecture of Zan ...

in 2021.John Njue
GCatholic.org, Retrieved 28 October 2015 The Archdiocese of Nairobi contains an estimated population of 4 million people of which 1.6 million are thought to be Catholic. These 4,000 Christian communities are served by 182 clergy, eight university level education facilities and several places for retreat.The Archdiocese of Nairobi
, Retrieved 29 October 2015 Services are available throughout the week within the cathedral and one of the chapels is always open. In addition the building also houses a bookshop and a school.Nairobi's cathedral draws worshippers to noon weekday mass
Christina S.N.Lewis, September 2011, National Catholic Reporter, Retrieved 28 October 2015

Gallery

File:Holy Family basilica (Nairobi, Kenya) - chapel.jpg, Chapel File:Nairobi City centre including Basilica.jpg, Nairobi center including Basilica File:Holy Family basilica (Nairobi, Kenya) - interior (2).jpg, Interior File:Holy Family basilica (Nairobi, Kenya) - holy water font.jpg, Holy water and baptismal fonts File:A view of Nairobi from the Kenyatta International Conference Centre.jpg, Nairobi from the Kenyatta International Conference Centre

Notes

External links

Sunday Services and mass times
{{DEFAULTSORT:Holy Family Basilica churches in Africa Roman Catholic cathedrals in Kenya Religious buildings and structures in Nairobi