Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception of Mulivai, Apia
The Catholic Cathedral of Apia, the capital of Samoa, is the Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception, popularly known as the Cathedral of Mulivai by the neighborhood where it rises, on the banks of the beach road promenade. The site of the Archbishop of Samoa- Apia was founded in 1852 by Bishop Bataillon and rebuilt in 2014 after the damage caused by the 2009 earthquake. His title is the Immaculate Conception, not the Assumption of Mary.
🌹 Wonders and anecdotes
- The first stone of the cathedral was blessed on December 8, 1852 by Bishop Pedro Bataillon, a date not chosen at random but in the solemnity of the Immaculate Conception, a title of the temple from its origins.
- The 8.1 magnitude earthquake of 29 September 2009 caused such damage to the former cathedral that the engineers ruled that the building over a hundred and forty years old was no longer safe; it was demolished and rebuilt with funds provided by the local Samoan community and the diaspora.
- La catedral actual, inaugurada el 2 de junio de 2014 en presencia del nuncio apostólico Martin Krebs, integra elementos artísticos de la cultura samoana en su arquitectura de estilo románico-gótico: el techo tallado a mano reproduce los motivos del tatuaje tradicional pe’a, y la Última Cena del domo rodea una cuenco de kava.
- The twin towers of the old Mulivai cathedral were for more than a century one of the most recognizable points of reference for the sailors who entered the port of Apia, and appear in almost all the historical photographs and paintings of the Samoan capital.
- El Arzobispado de Samoa-Apia fue establecido por el papa Pablo VI en 1966; la catedral de Mulivai lleva siendo su sede desde entonces, punto de confluencia espiritual de la comunidad católica de las islas de Upolu y Savai’i.
Immaculate Conception
The Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception of Mulivai, in Apia, is the seat of the Archbishop of Samoa- Apia and the most important Catholic temple in Samoa. Founded in 1852 under the title of the Immaculate Conception, not of the Assumption, the cathedral was rebuilt in 2014 after the 2009 earthquake, preserving the original missionary spirit and enriching itself with Samoan art and culture.
"Immaculate Conception, Mother without blemish, look with love at the sons and daughters of Samoa who gather under your protection in the Cathedral of Mulivai. May your purity and your unconditional yes to God always be a model for the Pacific faithful. Amen.
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