St Petrus en Paulus kathedraal Paramaribo, Suriname

The Cathedral-Basilica of Saint Peter and Paul also called Saint Peter and Paul Cathedral (

Dutch Dutch commonly refers to: * Something of, from, or related to the Netherlands * Dutch people () * Dutch language () Dutch may also refer to: Places * Dutch, West Virginia, a community in the United States * Pennsylvania Dutch Country People E ...

: ''Sint-Petrus-en-Pauluskathedraal'') is a wooden

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 let ...

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 ...

located in the centre of the capital city of

Paramaribo Paramaribo (; ; nicknamed Par'bo) is the 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' ...

, Suriname. The Catholic congregation in the city originally used a church adapted in 1826 from a Dutch Jewish theatre built in 1809. As the years passed, the church became too small for the growing number of Catholics in the city. In 1882 the diocese decided to build the

. It was consecrated in 1885, but the towers were not completed until 1901. A major restoration was completed in 2010 and the cathedral was re-opened. The cathedral was designated as a

minor basilica In the Catholic Church, a basilica is a designation given by the Pope to a church building. Basilicas are distinguished for ceremonial purposes from other churches. The building need not be a basilica in the architectural sense (a rectangular ...

Pope Francis Pope Francis ( la, Franciscus; it, Francesco; es, link=, Francisco; born Jorge Mario Bergoglio, 17 December 1936) is the head of the Catholic Church. He has been the bishop of Rome and sovereign of the Vatican City State since 13 March 2013. ...

in 2014.

History

In 1826 the Roman Catholic Church in Paramaribo adapted ''De Verrezene Phoenix,'' a former Dutch Jewish theatre built in 1809, to use as a church. In 1858 it was designated as a cathedral when a diocese was established in Paramaribo and a bishop assigned. When the congregation outgrew the building, the diocese decided to build a new cathedral. It was designed by Frans Harmes. Construction of the cathedral began January 30, 1883, on the site of a former Dutch Jewish

theatre Theatre or theater is a collaborative form of performing art that uses live performers, usually actors or actresses, to present the experience of a real or imagined event before a live audience in a specific place, often a stage. The perform ...

''De Verrezene Phoenix'', built in 1809. The cathedral interior is built of unpainted Surinamese

cedar Cedar may refer to: Trees and plants *''Cedrus'', common English name cedar, an Old-World genus of coniferous trees in the plant family Pinaceae *Cedar (plant), a list of trees and plants known as cedar Places United States * Cedar, Arizona * ...

. Although it was consecrated in 1885, the towers were not completed until 1901. A poorly done restoration was completed in 1977, but the building began to fall into disrepair, encountering problems with tilting and

termites Termites are small insects that live in colonies and have distinct castes (eusocial) and feed on wood or other dead plant matter. Termites comprise the infraorder Isoptera, or alternatively the epifamily Termitoidae, within the order Blattod ...

. In 2002 an extensive renovation was completed and the cathedral was returned to usable condition. With help of

European Union The European Union (EU) is a supranational political and economic union of member states that are located primarily in Europe. The union has a total area of and an estimated total population of about 447million. The EU has often been de ...

-funding, formal restoration of the cathedral began in 2007 and, after 3 years, the church was re-opened on November 13, 2010. In 2009 the gate to the cathedral turned 200 years old.

Structure

The Saint Peter and Paul Cathedral is the largest wooden structure in the

Western Hemisphere The Western Hemisphere is the half of the planet Earth that lies west of the prime meridian (which crosses Greenwich, London, United Kingdom) and east of the antimeridian. The other half is called the Eastern Hemisphere. Politically, the te ...

. The cathedral has two confession rooms. The Dutch-Surinamese priest

Peter Donders Petrus Norbertus Donders (27 October 1809 – 14 January 1887) was a Dutch Roman Catholic priest and member of the Redemptorist Congregation. He served in various missions in the Dutch colony of Surinam. He started working in the capital Param ...

, who had attended to

lepers Leprosy, also known as Hansen's disease (HD), is a long-term infection by the bacteria ''Mycobacterium leprae'' or ''Mycobacterium lepromatosis''. Infection can lead to damage of the nerves, respiratory tract, skin, and eyes. This nerve dama ...

Batavia Batavia may refer to: Historical places * Batavia (region), a land inhabited by the Batavian people during the Roman Empire, today part of the Netherlands * Batavia, Dutch East Indies, present-day Jakarta, the former capital of the Dutch East In ...

, is buried in here.

Measurements

* long * high in the main hall * wide * high in the tower up to the bronze cross This makes the

the biggest and tallest wooden structure in the Western Hemisphere. The cathedral has space for about 900 people and was initially built for

freedmen A freedman or freedwoman is a formerly enslaved person who has been released from slavery, usually by legal means. Historically, enslaved people were freed by manumission (granted freedom by their captor-owners), emancipation (granted freedom a ...

and contract laborers.

Bells

The building has three bells in the west tower. The name of the smallest bell is ''Alfhonsus'' and it weighs 222 kg. The biggest bell is named ''John'' and it weighs 827 kg. The middle one is named ''Rosa,'' and it weighs 413 kg.

Pipe organ

The pipe organ was constructed in

Germany Germany,, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It is the second most populous country in Europe after Russia, and the most populous member state of the European Union. Germany is situated betwe ...

and initially contained 1,550 pipes. Many of the pipes have been stolen over the years, leaving the organ with a value of 400 euros. After restoration, it is expected to have a value of around 10 million euros.

References

External links

{{DEFAULTSORT:Saint Peter And Paul Cathedral, Paramaribo Buildings and structures in Paramaribo Catholic pilgrimage sites Cathedrals in the Caribbean Roman Catholic cathedrals in Suriname Roman Catholic churches completed in 1901 Wooden buildings and structures in Suriname Wooden churches 20th-century Roman Catholic church buildings