The Cathedral of Santa Maria de Freetown

Freetown · Sierra Leone · The Catholic Faith after the Civil War

The Cathedral of Santa Maria de Freetown, located in the heart of the capital of Sierra Leone, is the seat of the archdiocese of Freetown. The cathedral has survived the civil war (1991-2002), Ebola (2014-2016) and endemic poverty, remaining the center of a resilient Catholic community.

Freetown: a city founded by liberated slaves

Freetown was founded in 1787 as a colony for released slaves from Britain and North America. The city has a unique history in Africa: it was home to the "Krio" (Creollos), descendants of liberated slaves who had adopted the British language, religion and culture. The Krio are mostly Christians (Anglicans, Methodists, Catholics), and form the cultural and professional elite of Sierra Leone.

The Catholic cathedral of Freetown, dedicated to Santa Maria, was built by the spiritist missionaries in the center of the city. It is a simple building, adapted to the tropical climate, which has served as a centre of worship, shelter and mediation during the country's crises.

The Civil War and the Virgin of Hope

The civil war in Sierra Leone (1991- 2002) was one of the most brutal in Africa: hundreds of thousands of deaths, millions of displaced persons, child soldiers, and mass mutilation. Freetown Cathedral was damaged during the fighting, but not destroyed. The faithful who took refuge in her tell us that the image of the Virgin Mary remained intact in the midst of destruction, a sign of hope in the darkness.

After the war, the Catholic community rebuilt the cathedral and the parishes destroyed. The Virgin Mary is invoked as the Mother who comforted the Sierra Leonean in suffering and who guides them in the recovered peace.