The Cathedral of the Holy Family is a late 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 denominatio ...

—together with the Co-Cathedral of St. Joseph the Worker—of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Samoa–Pago Pago in

American Samoa American Samoa ( sm, Amerika Sāmoa, ; also ' or ') is an unincorporated territory of the United States located in the South Pacific Ocean, southeast of the island country of Samoa. Its location is centered on . It is east of the Internationa ...

, an

unincorporated territory Territories of the United States are sub-national administrative divisions overseen by the federal government of the United States. The various American territories differ from the U.S. states and tribal reservations as they are not sove ...

of the

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territori ...

. It is located in the

Ottoville Ottoville is a village in Putnam County, Ohio, in the United States. The population was 976 at the 2010 census. History The first plat at Ottoville was made in 1845 for John Otto Bredeick. The effort at first proved unsuccessful, and the town ...

district of

Tafuna Tafuna ( sm, Tāfuna) is a village on the east coast of Tutuila Island, American Samoa. It is home to Pago Pago International Airport (Tafuna Airport). It is one mile south of Nu'uuli, American Samoa. The Ottoville district is a part of Tafuna. Ne ...

, the largest city in the territory. The construction of the cathedral began between the late 1980s and early 1990s and it opened in 1995. It is known for its art pieces, which incorporate the

Samoan culture The traditional culture of Samoa is a communal way of life based on Fa'a Samoa, the unique socio-political culture. In Samoan culture, most activities are done together. The traditional living quarters, or '' fale'' (houses), contain no walls and ...

Architecture

Exterior

Interior

The interior of the church is noted for its mixture of European and local Samoan features in its design. This is demonstrated in the

stained glass window Stained glass is coloured glass as a material or works created from it. Throughout its thousand-year history, the term has been applied almost exclusively to the windows of churches and other significant religious buildings. Although tradition ...

s and numerous pieces of art adorning the cathedral. A 1991 painting by Duffy Sheridan features 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 ...

, with a Samoan beach as the setting.

References

Roman Catholic churches completed in 1994 Holy Family, Tafuna Tafuna, American Samoa 1994 establishments in American Samoa 20th-century Roman Catholic church buildings in the United States {{AmericanSamoa-stub

Architecture

Exterior

Interior

See also

References