Cathedral of Our Lady of the Assumption, Mata-Utu

Cathedral of Our Lady of the Assumption (French: Cathédrale Notre-Dame-de-l'Assomption de Matâ'Utu), also known as Matâ'Utu Cathedral, is a Roman Catholic cathedral, and a national monument of France, located in the town of Mata Utu on Uvea, in Wallis and Futuna. It is a dominant edifice in downtown Mata-Utu town, capital of Wallis Island. It bears the royal insignia of Wallis, a Maltese cross between its towers.[1] The cathedral is also known as the "Our Lady of Good Hope Cathedral".[2] It is the seat of Bishop Susitino Sionepoe.[3]

Mata'utu Cathedral
Cathedral of Our Lady of the Assumption, Mata-Utu
Our Lady of Good Hope Cathedral
View of earlier cathedral, in 1862
Mata'utu Cathedral
13°16′58″S 176°10′24″W
Country Wallis and Futuna, France
DenominationRoman Catholic
History
StatusCathedral
DedicationOur Lady of the Assumption
Architecture
Functional statusActive
Administration
ArchdioceseArchdiocese of Nouméa
DioceseDiocese of Wallis et Futuna
Clergy
Bishop(s)Susitino Sionepoe

Geography
Royal throne of Uvéa, in the cathedral

The cathedral overlooks the Wallis lagoon from Mata-Utu, which is the largest town and capital of Wallis Island and the territory as a whole. The Palace of the King of Uvéa, which features two-storey verandas, adjoins the cathedral. On the opposite side of the wharf is a platform known as Fale Fono which was used by Chief of the local tribes to address people. Several restaurants, markets, hotels and the post office are near the cathedral.[2]

Features

The massive stone cathedral was built by the Marists, a French Roman Catholic religious order.[4][5]

The imposing cathedral is built with blue volcanic stones, chiseled and trimmed by hand. It has two prominent towers, rectangular in shape, dominating the landscape near the wharf. Between the two towers, a blue Maltese cross has been affixed, which also appears on the flag of Wallis.[6] The massive cathedral structure represents a distinctive "bulwark of Gaulish Catholicism".[2] In 1951, construction of a coral block cathedral began.[7]

References
  1. South Pacific (4 ed.). Lonely Planet. 2009. p. 616. ISBN 978-1-74104-786-8.
  2. David Stanley (2004). Moon Handbooks South Pacific. Avalon Travel Publishing. pp. 561–568. ISBN 978-1-56691-411-6. Retrieved 8 May 2013.
  3. "Cathédrale Notre-Dame-de-l'Assomption". Gcatholic.org. Retrieved 14 May 2013.
  4. Nic Maclellan; Jean Chesneaux (1998). After Moruroa: France in the South Pacific. Ocean Press. ISBN 978-1-876175-05-4. Retrieved 8 May 2013.
  5. Fodor's (12 November 1985). Australia, New Zealand and the South Pacific, 1986. Fodor's Travel Guides. p. 504. ISBN 978-0-679-01198-9. Retrieved 10 May 2013.
  6. David Stanley (1999). South Pacific Handbook. Avalon Travel Publishing. pp. 519–528. ISBN 978-1-56691-172-6. Retrieved 8 May 2013.
  7. "The World at War - Wallis & Futuna 1616 - 1961". Schudak.de, Timeline. Retrieved 13 May 2013.
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