• Home

The Complete Pilgrim - Religious Travel Sites

Howard Kramer's, The Complete Pilgrim, Religious Travel Site

  • AMERICAN RELIGIOUS SITES
  • CHRISTIAN SITES
  • JEWISH SITES
  • CATHOLIC SITES
  • ISLAMIC SITES
  • INDIAN/HINDU SITES
  • HOLIDAY SITES
  • CASTLES
  • BATTLEFIELDS
  • MOUNTAINS
  • NATURE
  • WILDLIFE SITES
  • PHOTO GALLERIES
  • ARCHIVES
  • ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

CATHEDRAL OF KISANTU

February 15, 2015 By Howard Kramer Leave a Comment

Kisantu, East Congo

The Democratic Republic of the Congo has the largest Catholic population in Africa and the tenth largest Catholic population in the world.  It is one of the most important, and most stable, institutions in an otherwise very chaotic region.  It is the primary conduit of health and education services to a people largely ignored by their government, and Church leaders are often the champions of public causes.  The Catholic Cathedral of the Jesuit Mission of Kisantu, or Kisantu Cathedral for short, is one of the largest in sub-Saharan Africa, and among the most beautiful.  Constructed by missionaries during the Belgian colonial period, it is not only one of the Congo’s pre-eminent churches, but also one of the most popular tourist sites in the entire country.

History

Unlike many other places that came under European rule during the Colonial era, Christianity was not introduced into the Congo at large until well into the 19th century.  The lack of a significant presence of missionaries and clergyman was in part responsible for the particularly brutal conditions that existed in the African Congo Free State before its formal annexation by the Belgian government.

In 1908, the Congo became a full-fledged colony of Belgium, and soon the Catholic Church arrived in force. The Church became the defacto cultural arm of the colonial government.  Missions were established throughout the country, and these in turn set up schools and hospitals.  By the mid-20th century, well over half of the country had been converted to Catholicism.

Unfortunately, the Catholic Church in the Congo became very closely associated with the colonial government.  When the country achieved its independence in 1960, many locals turned against the Church and a brief period of persecutions began.  After a while things calmed down, and the Church went from being a target of the people’s ire to their social champion.  In the 1970s, Catholic leaders started to become the largest critics of the ruling regime.

This led to a government crackdown on the Catholic Church.  Catholics were removed from their posts; religious instruction was banned; pictures of the Pope destroyed; and even Christmas was cancelled.  However, without Church personnel, many government institutions began to fall apart.  By 1976 these edicts were reversed, and Catholicism was effectively legalized again.  The Church is now once again the most powerful organization in the Congo, and perhaps nowhere else in the world does it play such an important role in the lives of local people as their champion in the face of oppression.

Visiting

The Cathedral of Kisantu is the largest church in the Democratic Republic of the Congo and one of the most beautiful Catholic churches in Africa.  Located close to the botanical gardens, it also enjoys a beautiful lawn and palm tree setting worthy of a beach resort hotel.  Built from locally quarried stone and locally produced tan brick, the exterior is an alluring combination of neo-Gothic and 20th century colonial architecture with just a hint of something exotically African.

The interior is a unique architectural experience among the great cathedrals of the world.  Composed of small bricks and decorated in tile, the long, columned nave is reminiscent of the Moorish architecture of Spain and North Africa.  The archways look like traditional Byzantine-era constructions, and the extremely colorful brick- and tile- geometric patterns would seem at home in the grandest of mosques.

The Cathedral of Kisantu is located in the green open space outside of the town of Kisantu, approximately thirty miles south of the capital at Kinshasa.  There was no visitor information available as of the time of this writing.  Web: www.rc.net/africa (official website of the Catholic Church in Africa)

Other Sites

Unfortunately, because the Catholic Church has not been around in the Congo for long, there are relatively few churches of historic interest. However, fot those who just can’t get enough, there is the Cathedral of Kinshasa in the capital, and the impressive green-roofed Cathedral of Brazzaville just across the border.

Filed Under: Roman Catholic Tagged With: Africa (Sub-Sahara)

Where would you like to go?

Africa (North) Africa (Sub-Sahara) Arabia Armenia/Azerbaijan/Georgia Australia/Pacific Austria/Switzerland Balkans Belgium/Netherlands British Isles Canada Caribbean Central Asia China Czech Republic Egypt France Germany Greece Hungary/Romania/Bulgaria India (NE)/Nepal India (NW) India (South)/Sri Lanka Iran/Iraq Israel Italy/Malta Japan/Korea Latin America Mexico Palestine Poland/Lithuania Russia Scandinavia Southeast Asia Spain/Portugal Syria/Jordan/Lebanon Turkey/Cyprus Ukraine US-California US-Mid Atlantic US-Midwest US-New England US-New York US-Pacific Northwest US-South US-Southwest

About Howard Kramer

Howard Kramer is the creator and author of The Complete Pilgrim. He first took an interest in religious sites in his early twenties when traveling through Italy after college. In the two decades since he has traveled to more than two dozen countries and almost every state, visiting and photographing hundreds of the world’s greatest churches, synagogues and other places of religious interest. Howard has been writing about religious sites for the better part of the last decade, and The Complete Pilgrim is a culmination of years of his work and passion.

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

THE COMPLETE AMERICAN PILGRIM – NOW AVAILABLE ON AMAZON

THE COMPLETE PILGRIM

Welcome to The Complete Pilgrim(TM)! This site, created by Howard Kramer, is a combination travel blog and online guide to the world's greatest sites of religious interest (with some historic and recreational places thrown in for good measure). All written content has been originally researched and produced and is provided free for public research and enjoyment. Thank you for visiting!

Site of the Week

WITTENBERG CASTLE CHURCH

WITTENBERG CASTLE CHURCH

Wittenberg, Germany The … [Read More...]

Friends of TCP Spotlight

5 PLACES TO VISIT IN HISTORIC PHILADELPHIA – MUSLIM TRAVEL ROCKS

5 PLACES TO VISIT IN HISTORIC PHILADELPHIA – MUSLIM TRAVEL ROCKS

by Glory Ali The City of Brotherly Love offers tons to see and do and get this, it’s FREE. That’s right you heard it right it’s FREE. Click here for complete article  

MOVING THE U.S. EMBASSY TO JERUSALEM – FAITH IN FAITHS

MOVING THE U.S. EMBASSY TO JERUSALEM – FAITH IN FAITHS

by Mary Neuhauser President Trump recently announced his intentions to move the United States Embassy in Israel from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem, thereby recognizing Jerusalem as the official capital of Israel. The purpose of this article is to give you a brief overview of what this decision means and why it matters. Click here for […]

Photo of the Week

BASILICA OF ST. DENIS

Last month, I visited one of the most fascinating churches I have ever been to, the almost completely ignored Basilica of St. Denis in the northern suburbs of Paris.  Almost every French monarch is buried here, and almost nobody goes here.  Here are some pics I took:

Basilica of St. Denis

Tomb of Clovis

Tomb of Clovis

Tombs of Louis XVI and Marie Antoinette

Tombs of Louis XVI and Marie Antoinette

Tomb of Louis XIV The Sun King

Tomb of Louis XIV The Sun King

Royal Tombs

Royal Tombs

The Crypt

The Crypt

 

 

 

 

Follow us!

Where would you like to go?

Africa (North) Africa (Sub-Sahara) Arabia Armenia/Azerbaijan/Georgia Australia/Pacific Austria/Switzerland Balkans Belgium/Netherlands British Isles Canada Caribbean Central Asia China Czech Republic Egypt France Germany Greece Hungary/Romania/Bulgaria India (NE)/Nepal India (NW) India (South)/Sri Lanka Iran/Iraq Israel Italy/Malta Japan/Korea Latin America Mexico Palestine Poland/Lithuania Russia Scandinavia Southeast Asia Spain/Portugal Syria/Jordan/Lebanon Turkey/Cyprus Ukraine US-California US-Mid Atlantic US-Midwest US-New England US-New York US-Pacific Northwest US-South US-Southwest

Contact Us

Have a comment, a great photo or a religious site you'd like to nominate for the weekly spotlight? We would love to hear from you. Email us at hkramer@thecompletepilgrim.com.

About the Author

Howard Kramer is the creator and author of The Complete Pilgrim. He first took an interest in religious sites in his early twenties when traveling through Italy after college. In the two decades since he has traveled to more than two dozen countries and almost every state, visiting and photographing hundreds of the world’s greatest churches, synagogues and other places of religious interest. Howard has been writing about religious sites for the better part of the last decade, and The Complete Pilgrim is the culmination of years of his work and passion.

Return to top of page
Copyright © 2023 The Complete Pilgrim, LLC || Marietta, GA 30068 || Legal Disclaimers

Website by: Kristina McInerny, Notes From Kris, Inc.