St. Peter's and Paul's Basilica (Paramaribo, Suriname)
In the heart of Paramaribo, capital of Suriname and one of the Guiana, the St. Peter and Paul's Basilica, entirely built in wood and one of the largest wooden churches in South America. Listed by the Redemptive Fathers between 1883 and 1887, it is part of the historic centre of Paramaribo, declared World Heritage by UNESCO in 2002. Pope Francis raised her to minor basilica on 6 April 2014. See of the diocese of Paramaribo, also custody the memory of Blessed Peerke Donders, apostle of the lepers.
🌹 Wonders and anecdotes
- The first stone was placed on January 30, 1883 and the temple was consecrated on July 10, 1885, and was completed in 1887; the neo-Gothic towers were added by 1901, forming the characteristic double tower front of about forty-four metres.
- It is a construction entirely of wood: the facade and the pillars use the very hard, almost indestructible, South American greenheart and the interior is made in unpainted cedar, with entirely South American design.
- The project is due to the redeemer Frans Harmes; curiously, the new church rose above the old wooden temple, which served as scaffolding and was demolished just before the opening.
- After years of termite and moisture damage, it was completely restored between 2002 and 2010 with Vatican funding, reopening to veneration on November 13, 2010.
- Pope Francis declared it a minor basilica on April 6, 2014, and the temple is part of the historical centre of Paramaribo registered as a World Heritage Site by UNESCO since 2002.
- A side chapel houses the tomb of Blessed Petrus (Peerke) Donders, a redeemer missionary given to the care of the lepers, whose remains were transferred to the cathedral in 1921.
Saint Peter and Saint Paul
The Cathedral-Basilica of San Pedro and San Pablo de Paramaribo, built in wood by the Redemptorists between 1883 and 1887, is one of the largest wooden churches in South America and is part of the historic World Heritage Center. It was declared a minor basilica by Pope Francis in 2014 and custody the tomb of Blessed Peerke Donders.
"Blessed Virgin Mary, Mother of the Church, who candles over this temple of the Guiana, raise the firm faith of the Apostles Peter and Paul to us.
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