Cathedral of Our Lady of the Assumption, Mata-Utu
{{Infobox church
|denomination = Roman Catholic
|name = Mata'utu Cathedral
|fullname = Cathedral of Our Lady of the Assumption, Mata-Utu
|other name = Our Lady of Good Hope Cathedral
|image = 179 Cathédrale de Mata-Utu - side view (36940866791).jpg
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|pushpin map = Wallis
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|coordinates ={{coord|13|16|58|S|176|10|24|W|region:FR_type:landmark|display=inline,title}}
|country = {{flagicon|Wallis and Futuna }} Wallis and Futuna, France
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|dedication = Our Lady of the Assumption
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|status = Cathedral
|functional status = Active
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|archdiocese = Archdiocese of Nouméa
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|diocese = Diocese of Wallis et Futuna
|bishop = Susitino Sionepoe
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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.{{cite book|title=South Pacific|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=IfugqkV_udYC&pg=PA616|edition=4|year=2009|publisher=Lonely Planet|isbn=978-1-74104-786-8|page=616}} The cathedral is also known as the "Our Lady of Good Hope Cathedral".{{cite book|author=David Stanley|title=Moon Handbooks South Pacific|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=EDGapfBX-CAC&pg=PA565|year=2004|access-date=8 May 2013|publisher=Avalon Travel Publishing |isbn=978-1-56691-411-6|pages=561–568}} It is the seat of Bishop Susitino Sionepoe.{{Cite web|url=http://www.gcatholic.org/churches/oceania/2515.htm|title=Cathédrale Notre-Dame-de-l’Assomption|work=Gcatholic.org|access-date=14 May 2013}}
Geography
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.
Features
The massive stone cathedral was built by the Marists, a French Roman Catholic religious order.{{cite book|author1=Nic Maclellan|author2=Jean Chesneaux|title=After Moruroa: France in the South Pacific|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=ao10AAAAMAAJ|access-date=8 May 2013|year=1998|publisher=Ocean Press|isbn=978-1-876175-05-4}}{{cite book|author=Fodor's|title=Australia, New Zealand and the South Pacific, 1986|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=Jt5QRNluuhQC|access-date=10 May 2013|date=12 November 1985|publisher=Fodor's Travel Guides|isbn=978-0-679-01198-9|page=504}}
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.{{cite book|author=David Stanley|title=South Pacific Handbook|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=w6zguqsU7x0C&pg=PA522|access-date=8 May 2013|year=1999|publisher=Avalon Travel Publishing|isbn=978-1-56691-172-6|pages=519–528}} The massive cathedral structure represents a distinctive "bulwark of Gaulish Catholicism". In 1951, construction of a coral block cathedral began.{{Cite web|url=http://www.schudak.de/timelines/wallis&futuna1616-1961.html|title=The World at War - Wallis & Futuna 1616 - 1961|access-date=13 May 2013|publisher= Schudak.de, Timeline}}
References
{{Reflist}}
External links
{{commons category|Cathédrale Notre-Dame-de-l'Assomption de Mata-Utu}}
- {{Structurae|20035638|Cathedral of Our Lady of the Assumption,Matâ'Utu}}
- [http://www.scholares.net/index.php?Gazetteer-Mata-Utu Location of the cathedral]
{{Catholic Church in France|state=collapsed}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Mata-Utu Cathedral}}
Category:Churches in Wallis and Futuna
Category:Roman Catholic cathedrals in Oceania
Category:Roman Catholic cathedrals in Overseas France
Category:Monuments historiques of France
Category:Catholic Church in Wallis and Futuna
Category:Buildings and structures in Wallis and Futuna