The Santa Rosa Church (

Dutch Dutch or Nederlands commonly refers to: * Something of, from, or related to the Netherlands ** Dutch people as an ethnic group () ** Dutch nationality law, history and regulations of Dutch citizenship () ** Dutch language () * In specific terms, i ...

: ''Sint Rosakerk'') is a

Roman Catholic The Catholic Church (), also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with 1.27 to 1.41 billion baptized Catholics worldwide as of 2025. It is among the world's oldest and largest international institut ...

church located in

Paramaribo Paramaribo ( , , ) is the capital city, capital and largest city of Suriname, located on the banks of the Suriname River in the Paramaribo District. Paramaribo has a population of roughly 241,000 people (2012 census), almost half of Suriname's p ...

, Suriname. The current church dates from 1911, and is the second largest church in Paramaribo. It is located in the

centre Center or centre may refer to: Mathematics *Center (geometry), the middle of an object * Center (algebra), used in various contexts ** Center (group theory) ** Center (ring theory) * Graph center, the set of all vertices of minimum eccentricity ...

of the city and part of the

UNESCO The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO ) is a List of specialized agencies of the United Nations, specialized agency of the United Nations (UN) with the aim of promoting world peace and International secur ...

World Heritage Site World Heritage Sites are landmarks and areas with legal protection under an treaty, international treaty administered by UNESCO for having cultural, historical, or scientific significance. The sites are judged to contain "cultural and natural ...

History

In the middle of the 19th century there was a large increase in the number of Catholics in Suriname. In 1861, the building of of the

freemasons Freemasonry (sometimes spelled Free-Masonry) consists of fraternal groups that trace their origins to the medieval guilds of stonemasons. Freemasonry is the oldest secular fraternity in the world and among the oldest still-existing organizati ...

was purchased, and turned into a church. The church was dedicated to

Rose of Lima Rose of Lima, TOSD (born Isabel Flores de Oliva; 20 April 1586 24 August 1617) (, ), was a member of the Third Order of Saint Dominic in Lima, Peru, Spanish Empire, who became known for both her life of severe penance and her care of the pover ...

. In 1911, a larger church was built with two towers, and

consecrated Sacred describes something that is dedicated or set apart for the service or worship of a deity; is considered worthy of spiritual respect or devotion; or inspires awe or reverence among believers. The property is often ascribed to objects (a ...

on 28 June 1911. It is a deep church with a small square in front. The building consists of a high central nave with a flat ceiling, and two side naves, and is painted in the same colour scheme as the Saint Peter and Paul Cathedral. The organ of the Rosa Church was built by Jos H. Vermeulen and dates from 1929. There are two bells in the left tower. In 1946, the Rosa Church was hit by lightning which caused a hole of several metres in the tower. In 2009, the Mary statue of the clergy house of the in

The Hague The Hague ( ) is the capital city of the South Holland province of the Netherlands. With a population of over half a million, it is the third-largest city in the Netherlands. Situated on the west coast facing the North Sea, The Hague is the c ...

was donated to the Rosa Church and placed in an artificial cave in front of the church. In 2020, a restoration of the Rosa Church started, because the building suffered from leakage and barklice. In May 2021, during the restoration, both towers were struck by lightning and damaged. The

clergy house A clergy house is the residence, or former residence, of one or more priests or ministers of a given religion, serving as both a home and a base for the occupant's ministry. Residences of this type can have a variety of names, such as manse, p ...

is in use by the boy scouts, and the church is also used as a concert hall.

Gallery

Gezicht op de Saramaccastraat met brug en kerk Paramaribo. Saramaccastraat. (titel op object), RP-F-F00938-12.jpg , 1861 church Paramaribo St Rosakerk - Prinsenstraat 10 20161001 grot met Mariabeeld.jpg , Mary statue in the cave Overzicht westgevel - Paramaribo - 20417647 - RCE.jpg , West wing

References

{{Authority control Churches in Paramaribo Roman Catholic churches completed in 1911 Roman Catholic churches in Suriname Wooden buildings and structures in Suriname

History

Gallery

See also

References