ST.
JOHN'S CATHEDRAL
Two St. John's Anglican Churches have already
stood on the site of the present cathedral. The
first was built of wood as early as 1681 and was
said to be "totally destitute of beauty or
comfort". The second was constructed with
English brick about 1720 when the first fell in
disrepair and became too small. |
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The church
was designed by Mr. Robert Cullen and had a short steeple
at its western end. After over a century, the church was
elevated to the status of a cathedral when the Diocese of
Antigua was created in August 1842.
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As plans were
being made to make the church worthy of its new
status, a violent earthquake severely damaged it
in February 1843. Temporary repairs were made and
in it Bishop Daniel Davis was enthroned as the
first Bishop of Antigua.
Next to the site of the first two churches a new
purpose built cathedral was planned and approved
by the House of Assembly. The Governor, Sir
Charles Augustus Fitzroy, laid the cornerstone on
October 9, 1843 and on October 10 three years
later, the Cathedral was opened for divine
service. It was consecrated on July 25, 1848. |
The Cathedral is built of
freestone and the architect was Mr. J. Fuller of Bath and
the Clerk of Works was Mr. F.W. Rowe of Bristol. The
interior is encased in pitch pine, intending to secure
the building from ruin during earthquake or hurricane. It
has been described as "a building within a
building".
The Cathedral is dominated by twin towers at the west end
and provides a distinct baroque flavour. They are 70 ft
high and the cupolas that crown the towers are aluminium
in colour. At the time of erection, the edifice was
criticised by ecclesiastical architects as being like
"a pagan temple with two dumpy pepper pot
towers", however in modern times the edifice has
been cited as "the most imposing of all the
Cathedrals of the West Indian Province".
Originally the
south gate was the main entrance to the
Cathedral. On top of its pillars are the bronze
figures of St. John the Divine and St. John the
Baptist. H.M.S. Temple is said to have taken
these figures from a French ship destined for
Martinique in 1756 during the Seven Years War.
The iron gates themselves date from 1789.
A centenarian, Samuel
Smith in his memoirs (To Shoot Hard Labour), says
the planters called the Cathedral 'Big Church'
and that it frightened the people as a symbol of
English power. He also said that the Anglican
Church catered more for the planter class, but
the black people got more involved at about the
time of World War I. At last some black persons
names were memorialised on the cathedral's walls.
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This article
courtesy
The Museum of Antigua & Barbuda
and
The Dockyard Museum.
Visit Explore Antigua for places of interest, museums,
historical and general information on Antigua &
Barbuda.
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