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Cathedral of St. Mary the Crowned

Coordinates:36°08′23″N5°21′13″W/ 36.139672°N 5.35366°W/36.139672; -5.35366
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Cathedral of St. Mary the Crowned
Western façade of the Cathedral of St. Mary the Crowned.
Map
36°08′23″N5°21′13″W/ 36.139672°N 5.35366°W/36.139672; -5.35366
Location215Main Street
CountryGibraltar
DenominationCatholic(Latin)
WebsiteGib Cathedral
History
Former name(s)Iglesia de Santa Maria la Coronada y San Bernado
StatusCathedral
Founded20 August 1462
Founder(s)Catholic Monarchs
DedicationSt. Mary the Crowned
Dedicated20 August 1462
Consecrated20 August 1462
Past bishop(s)Seelist of bishops
Associated peopleFr.Juan Romero de Figueroa
Architecture
Functional statusActive
Architect(s)Various
Architectural typeMixed
StyleMixed
Completed1931
Specifications
Number ofdomes1
Clergy
Bishop(s)Mons.Carmelo Zammit
Priest(s)Fr.Paul Bear

TheCathedral of Saint Mary the Crowned(Spanish:Catedral de Santa María la Coronada) is aLatin CatholiccathedralinGibraltar.It is the primary centre ofCatholic worshipin theDiocese of Gibraltar.

History

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15th century

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The original building of the current cathedral was built during theSpanish period.Just after the reconquest of the city to theMoors,the mainmosquewas decreed to be stripped of its Islamic past[1]and consecrated as the parish church (namedSanta Maria la Coronada y San Bernardo[2]). However, under the rule of theCatholic Monarchs,the old building was demolished and a new church was erected, inGothic style.The cathedral's smallcourtyardis the remnant of the largerMoorishcourt of the mosque. TheCatholic Monarchs' coat of armswas placed in the courtyard where it can still be seen today. The cathedral extended to the opposite side of what is nowMain Street.[1]

18th to 20th centuries

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The church of St. Mary the Crowned was the only Catholic church or institution that was not ransacked by the troops that took over the city in 1704. It was successfully protected by its staunch pastor,Juan Romero,his curate, and his bell-ringer.[3]Thus, it is the only place where Catholic worship has taken place uninterruptedly from the definite Christian re-conquest of the town.

Due to the building being severely damaged during the 1779–1783Great Siege,in 1790 the thengovernor of Gibraltar,Sir Robert Boyd,offered to rebuild the cathedral in return for part of the land on which the building originally stood in order to re-route Main Street.[1]The route was re-modelled in 1801 so that Main Street could be straighter. (This drastic change has also been credited to the governorCharles O'Hara.[4]) The reconstruction took place in 1810 and the opportunity was also taken to widen Main Street. Theclock towerwas added in 1820 and in 1931 restoration work was carried out on the cathedral and the current west façade erected to replace the poorer one built in 1810.[1]

In 1881 the Church of St Mary's was the site of nearly fifty arrests as the governor of Gibraltar sent police and reassigned soldiers to supportBishop Canillaas he attempted to enter his own church. A self-appointed "Committee of Elders" had said that they intended to take possession of the church and install their own "chief priest" against the will of the governor and the Catholic church. Canilla was sent to his church on 2 March 1881 with police protection to install him in his church. When the new force came to the church they found it was occupied by 200 men and the police had to make four dozen arrests to establish order.[5]

Not only did Canilla now have possession of his church but he was also the owner as the governor arranged for the title deeds to be given to the new titular Bishop.[5]

Until the 19th century, anyone who died in Gibraltar had the right to be buried under the cathedral floor. Bishops are buried in acryptbeneath the statue ofOur Lady of Europe.[1]

In 1943,Władysław Sikorski's coffin lay in state here, after his plane crashed into the sea just off Gibraltar.

See also

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  • San Roque, Cádiz(The original statue of St Mary was moved there in 1704, following the British takeover of Gibraltar)
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  • The exterior of the Cathedral of St. Mary the Crowned. The statue of the soldier outside the cathedral is a gift from the Corps of the Royal Engineers to commemorate the formation in Gibraltar of the Company of Soldier Artificers in 1772, which later became the Royal Engineers in 1856.[6]
    The exterior of the Cathedral of St. Mary the Crowned. The statue of the soldier outside the cathedral is a gift from the Corps of theRoyal Engineersto commemorate the formation in Gibraltar of the Company of Soldier Artificers in 1772, which later became the Royal Engineers in 1856.[6]
  • Old photograph of Main Street showing part of the cathedral's façade to the left. Picture from the book Gibraltar - John L. Stoddard's Lectures (1912), by John L. Stoddard. It shows the old façade built in 1810.
    Old photograph of Main Street showing part of the cathedral's façade to the left. Picture from the bookGibraltar - John L. Stoddard's Lectures(1912), by John L. Stoddard. It shows the old façade built in 1810.
  • Entrance to the cathedral's courtyard.
    Entrance to the cathedral's courtyard.
  • View of the cathedral's altar.
    View of the cathedral's altar.
  • Stained-glass window in the cathedral.
    Stained-glass window in the cathedral.

References

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  1. ^abcdeHistory of the Cathedral of St Mary the Crowned.Archived2013-01-07 atarchive.today
  2. ^"A Short History of the Diocese of Gibraltar".Archived fromthe originalon 3 January 2009.
  3. ^Jackson, William (1990).The Rock of the Gibraltarians. A History of Gibraltar(2nd ed.). Grendon, Northamptonshire, UK: Gibraltar Books. pp. 99–101.ISBN0-948466-14-6.
  4. ^Benady, Tito (1996).The streets of Gibraltar: a short history.Grendon: Gibraltar Books. pp. 11–17.ISBN0948466375.
  5. ^abGeorge Hills (1974).Rock of Contention. A History of Gibraltar.London: Robert Hale. pp. 392–396.ISBN0-7091-4352-4.
  6. ^300 Years of British Gibraltar 1704-2004by Peter Bond
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