Historic Buildings: Cathedral of the Sacred Heart

Wisdom
3 Min Read

By Correspondent

At the corner of 4th Street and Herbert Chitepo is a majestic building which has stood the test of time.

Built in 1925 the Cathedral of Sacred Heart was drawn by the architect Father Le Boenf and built by Jesuit Brothers for £12,000

According to Zim Field Guide, the Roman Catholic Cathedral replaced the first Catholic Church built in 1900 at the Convent on the west side of 4th Street.

It was built by the French and German Brothers with the aid of African builders.

This was unusual in that up to the 1950’s most building work was carried out by European tradesmen.

“Father Le Boenf created the overall design and supervised the construction.

“He was responsible for Campion House, built for priest’s accommodation just to the east of the Cathedral.

The same builder was responsible for Dominican Convent, St. George’s College and a number of mission churches.

The simple Gothic style did the basic design of the building which is 40 metres long and 19.5 metres wide.

The west end has two towers with the main entrance that has the organ loft above.

The foundation stone was laid on St Patrick’s Day in May 1924 and completed within eighteen months.

This short period was a was a remarkable feat.

Novel Building Material

The High Altar runs along a nave with fine hammer beam trusses, and a timber panelled ceiling.

This creates a room full of light and colour.

The building is built of brick that is encased in artificial stone masonry, the pointed Gothic-style windows and arches are constructed in concrete.

Some notable work on the building include ironwork screens, gates, lamps and balustrade which were created by one, Brother Schὃnbrod at Chishawasha.

Another Catholic leader, Brother Krechel carved the soapstone.

“The hardwoods were brought from Beira, the saligna from Driefontein Mission.

The carved balcony of the organ loft and the main doors were carved from timber by Brother Gὃll who seasoned the wood for 20 years before it was carved.  

Father Richartz designed the font and the stained glass which provides so much colour was imported from Austria.

The Church extensions to the south and the east were undertaken in 1970.

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