Sacred Heart Church, Levuka

Sacred Heart Church
Sacred Heart Catholic Church

Sacred Heart Church, Levuka
Basic information
Location Beach Street, Levuka, Ovalau, Fiji
Geographic coordinates 17°40′56″S 178°50′3″E / 17.68222°S 178.83417°E / -17.68222; 178.83417Coordinates: 17°40′56″S 178°50′3″E / 17.68222°S 178.83417°E / -17.68222; 178.83417
Affiliation Roman Catholicism
Year consecrated 1858
Status Functional
Leadership Presbytery Sacred Heart Mission
Architectural description
Architect(s) Father Louyot
Architectural style Gothic Revival architecture
Specifications
Capacity 250
Width 13 by 13 feet (4.0 m × 4.0 m)
Height (max) 80 feet (24 m)
Materials Wood, stone

The Sacred Heart Church,[1][2] also known as the Church of the Sacred Heart[3] or Sacred Heart Catholic Church, is a Roman Catholic church on the Fijian island of Ovalau, situated on Beach Street in the town of Levuka.[4][5] The church's clock tower serves as a lighthouse to guide the ships to the port through an opening in the reef. The church is part of the heritage status accorded to Levuka by its inscription as a World Heritage Site by UNESCO.

Features

The church, presbytery, and its detached tower were built by Father Louyot in traditional Gothic Revival architecture. The church is laid out in the form of a Latin Cross with the weatherboard structure, measuring 60 by 24 feet (18.3 m × 7.3 m), able to accommodate 250 people.[6] The harmonium was added by Alexandre Fils.[7] The presbytery, destroyed by a cyclone in 1905, was a two storey wooden structure adjacent to the church.[8]

Front view of the tower and its spire in the form of a cross.

The 80-foot (24 m) high tower, square in shape, is constructed from stone masonry and measures 13 by 13 feet (4.0 m × 4.0 m). Its belfry contains four bells.[7] The clock fitted on the tower is circular in shape and rings twice every hour at an interval of one minute; in local parlance the first ring is said to indicate the local "Fiji Time".[9] The spire of the tower is fitted with a neon light in the form of a cross, which is used by ships to navigate safely through the Levuka Passage to the port; this light works in synchronization with another green light fitted on the hill.[5][9]

History

The church was built in 1858 by the Marist Fathers as a part of the Presbytery of the Sacred Heart Mission, in Levuka, which was the first historical capital of Fiji during British colonial rule. Fr. Breheret served as the first priest of the church; the clock tower which is independent of the church was constructed to commemorate his joining the church.[4][10][11][5] It is said to be the "oldest and best developed catholic mission in Fiji".[4] The church was expanded in ensuing years.[4][11][5] The church is part of the heritage status accorded to Levuka by its inscription as a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 2013 under Criteria (cultural) (ii) and (iv).[10][11]

References

  1. ↑ "Sacred Heart Church, Levuka, Fiji". www.gcatholic.org. Retrieved 2016-05-10.
  2. ↑ McKinnon, Rowan (2009-01-01). South Pacific. Lonely Planet. ISBN 9781741047868.
  3. ↑ Stanley, David (1996-01-01). South Pacific Handbook. David Stanley. ISBN 9781566910408.
  4. 1 2 3 4 "Nomination file / 21 mb - UNESCO: World Heritage" (pdf). UNESCO Organization. Retrieved 18 April 2015.
  5. 1 2 3 4 Stanley 1996, p. 198.
  6. ↑ Fiji Blue Book 1899, p. 148.
  7. 1 2 Britton 1870, p. 68.
  8. ↑ "A Step Back into Time". St John the Baptist Church. 11 September 2009. Retrieved 20 April 2015.
  9. 1 2 Starnes & Luckham 2009, p. 171.
  10. 1 2 Eagles, Jim (30 April 2011). "Fiji: Town's journey to hell and back". The New Zealand Herald. Retrieved 18 April 2015.
  11. 1 2 3 "Levuka Historical Port Town". UNESCO Organization. Retrieved 18 April 2015.

Bibliography

This article is issued from Wikipedia - version of the 10/5/2016. The text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution/Share Alike but additional terms may apply for the media files.