Sacred Heart Cathedral, Lahore

Sacred Heart Cathedral (Urdu: سیکرڈ ہارٹ کیتھڈرل‎) was consecrated by Bishop Fabian Eestermans, Bishop of Lahore on 19 November 1907.[1] The cathedral was built at the behest of bishop Godefroid Pelckmans (bishop of Lahore, 1893-1904) with Belgian aid and materials. Its roots lie in the historical presence of the Belgian Capuchins in Pakistan.[2] The design of this Cathedral was made according to the Roman Byzantine style by a Belgian architect, Edouard Dobbeleers of Antwerp.[3]

Sacred Heart Cathedral
سیکرڈ ہارٹ کیتھڈرل
Sacred Heart Cathedral
Religion
AffiliationRoman Catholic
DistrictArchdiocese of Lahore
LeadershipArchbishop Sebastian Francis Shaw
Year consecrated1907
Location
LocationLawrence Road, Lahore, Punjab Pakistan
Architecture
Architect(s)E. Dobbeleers
StyleRoman Byzantine
Sacred Heart Cathedral (inside)
Sacred Heart Cathedral (inside view)
Altar
Sacred Heart Cathedral (Lahore)
Sacred Heart Cathedral (Lahore)
Sacred Heart Cathedral (Lahore)

The Cathedral is the principal church of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Lahore. A special commemorative postage stamp was released on the Centenary Day of the Cathedral by the Government of Pakistan.[4] Pope Benedict XVI also sent a message for the jubilee of the Lahore cathedral.[5] Archbishop Adolfo Tito Yllana, Apostolic Nuncio to Pakistan, read out the special message from the Pope to the local congregation in Lahore.

On the occasion of the centenary celebration of Cathedral the Pakistan Post Office issued a commemorative stamp to mark the event.[6]

In 2007 Father Andrew Nisari was the Rector of the Cathedral.[7]

On March 11, 2008, a suicide bomber drove a vehicle loaded with explosive material into the eight-storey FIA office situated at Temple Road, Lahore[8]. At least ten of the cathedral's stained-glass windows were hit by the blast. Many of the other window panes were also blown out.[8] In the meantime they have been restored in Belgium.[2]

In 2011, the Cathedral had registered more than 20,000 baptisms and nearly 5,500 marriages since its founding.[9]

In 2020, the Punjab Minister for Minority Affairs, Ijaz Alam Augustine asked the provincial government to put the cathedral on the national heritage list. He has also said that his ministry will cover the expenses of restoration work needed, including new pipes, electrical system and other beautification work, approximately 50,000,000 rupees (about US$ 300,000).[10]

See also

References
  1. "Pastoral Letter Of Archbishop Lawrence Saldanha".
  2. "Prize for Belgian heritage abroad | Focus on Belgium". focusonbelgium.be. Retrieved 2016-03-20.
  3. "A SACRED LANDMARK REACHES 100".
  4. "Sacred Heart Cathedral celebrates its first 100 years".
  5. "Lahore Cathedral Caps Centenary Celebrations, Pope Sends Message UCANews.com 22 November 2007".
  6. Pakistan Press International November 20, 2007
  7. "The Sacred Heart Cathedral".
  8. "UCANews.com March 14, 2008".
  9. UCANews December 19, 2011 Archived February 1, 2012, at the Wayback Machine
  10. Asianews.it July 22, 2020


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