The grandest buildings in Sāmoan villages are usually churches and in Apia this also holds true. The Catholic Cathedral is without doubt the most impressive in the country.
Immaculate Conception of Mary Cathedral
Beach Rd, Mulivai
To respect worshippers, tourists are asked to limit their photo taking to from behind the last row of pews.
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A café and Catholic gift shop are located next on the Beach Road frontage.
Since its dedication at the end of 1867 the cathedral at Mulivai has been a focus for Apia and Sāmoa’s catholic community; its distinctive twin-towers were also a reliable navigation landmark for sailors entering the harbour and identifiable in almost every landscape photo and painting of Apia.
Following the 8.1 earthquake of September 2009 an engineering report on its structure concluded that the 140+ year old Cathedral was no longer safe and it was decided to pull it down and rebuild. Ways of saving the Cathedral were considered – particularly applying steel reinforcements – but the salt contained in the limestone walls made any steel application untenable.
The Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception for the Archdiocese of Sāmoa-Apia was dedicated on 31 May 2014. Built on the same location, at an approximate cost of $13 million tala the new cathedral is much grander: about twice the size and sits several metres higher on elevated foundations. While the overall structure and interior aspects – the Roman-style columns, stained glass windows, marble floors all recognisably reference traditional European churches, many details are beautifully Sāmoan. The entire ceiling is carved with patterns of pe’a (Sāmoan tattoo) and a wonderful Sāmoan version of the Last Supper is painted on the interior sides of the main dome. Brother Ricky Bernard was the powerhouse behind the project acting both as the lead designer and construction manager of the new Cathedral.
Entombed three metres below the new foundation lie the remains of the church’s only Cardinal, the late Cardinal Pio Taofinu’u who passed away in 2006. First ordained as a priest in 1954, in 1968 he was consecrated, becoming the first Polynesian bishop in the history of the Catholic Church. Two years later there was great excitement when Pope Paul VI briefly visited Western and also American Sāmoa. Bishop Pio naturally was alongside the Pope throughout the event as they travelled in procession about 6km from Faleolo airport to the nearby village, Leulumoega, where the Pope said mass. In 1973 the Bishop was made Cardinal, the first in all of Polynesia. Among his many accomplishments, Taofinuu was largely responsible for incorporating aspects of fa’a Sāmoa (Sāmoan culture) into Catholic rituals and celebrations such as Holy Communion.
Roman Catholicism is the largest Christian church in the world and the second largest denomination in Sāmoa. Just over a fifth of Sāmoa’s population identifies as Catholic and there are 38 parishes across the country. The religion was introduced to Sāmoa by French missionaries in 1845 after Pope Gregory XVI commissioned the Marist* Fathers in 1836 to bring Catholicism to the Western Pacific. By 1855 both testaments of the Bible had been translated and were available in the Sāmoan language. In 1860 the first of many Marist Brothers schools opened and it still operates today situated just behind the Cathedral.
Catholic religious organisations have been active in health, education and social work in Sāmoa, notably through the work of the Marist Brothers, the Missionary Sisters of the Society of Mary and the Little Sisters of the Poor. The Catholic Church has substantial land holdings in Apia, including a theological college, homeless shelter and formerly, plantations and a cattle farm, over in Moamoa village on the western side of Mt Vaea. A significant portion of the fundraising for the new Cathedral was generated by leasing their downtown land to commercial interests.
VISITOR HIGHLIGHTS
- Attend a Sunday morning service. Dress modestly, preferably in white.
- Admire the carved ceiling and if the Cathedral is empty quietly view the mural painted inside the main dome. If you walk on the right hand side from the back, you will find Cardinal Pio Taofinu’u’s recessed memorial.
- Enjoy a meal and a browse through the Sāmoan Catholic gift shop in their cafe, next to the Cathedral.
*FYI: The word “Marist” is derived from the name “Mary”, the mother of Jesus.
