Joseph Town Cathedral

Joseph Town Cathedral is a place of worship, tourist attraction, and local landmark located in the Joseph Town. As the largest church and meeting venue in the South Sea Islands, the cathedral has traditionally played a significant role in the public life of the Commonwealth.

The building’s primary function is to serve as the headquarters of the Protestantse Kerk in de Zuidzee-eilanden, with the adjacent outbuildings hosting the church’s secretariat.

History

When Joseph Town was being constructed in 1586, the Cathedral was one of two essential public buildings in the new capital, alongside Government House (situated nearby). In addition to satisfying the spiritual needs of the city’s founders, the Cathedral was considered an essential last refuge for the new city’s population, who could communally shelter in the large nave during particularly cold winters.

Construction

As with many of Joseph Town’s oldest buildings, the Cathedral was constructed using red bricks. While initially chosen for their cheapness and ready availability in the area, the city’s architects and planners soon came to appreciate the visual appeal of the material. It was felt that the red brick created a striking and visually appealing contrast with the city’s often snowy, wintery background.

A groundbreaking ceremony for the Cathedral was held in April 1585, with a topping-out ceremony held fourteen months later. As is tradition in the South Sea Islands, the Cathedral’s first pastor poured a bottle of local beer over the top of the spire to bring good luck to the new building.

While construction generally ran smoothly and without major incidents, one fatality did occur in the closing weeks of construction, with bricklayer Montgomery Jones falling to his death from the tower’s scaffold. Jones is commemorated with a prominent grave in the Cathedral’s nave.

Physical Characteristics

Joseph Town Cathedral is 60 meters long and 25 meters wide, with a nave able to accommodate 400 seated worshippers, and standing room for an additional 200.

Unlike many churches of its size, the Cathedral has disproportionately small windows, in recognition of the cold temperatures that prevail during much of the year. To ensure visual appeal, the building’s architects added elaborate brick patterns to the outside of the structure, including striking brick sculptures of Moses parting the Red Sea, and the Garden of Eden.

The Cathedral’s most striking feature is its 34-meter-high tower, topped by a short spire. This makes it both the largest and tallest brick building anywhere in the South Sea Islands.

Music

While not strictly a part of the traditional worship of the Protestantse Kerk in de Zuidzee-eilanden, Joseph Town Cathedral has developed a strong musical heritage. The Cathedral’s pipe organ is the largest in the Commonwealth, and the Joseph Town Choir often takes part in religious ceremonies in the building.

In addition to religious music, the Cathedral also serves as a venue for classical music concerts, band practices, and the rehearsals of several local secular choirs.

As the highest capacity venue in the Commonwealth, the Cathedral has also hosted touring international bands over the decades, with stars from as far afield as Mercury performing for sold-out crowds of Joseph Town music lovers.

Bells

Joseph Town Cathedral’s tower hosts more bells than every other church in the South Sea Islands combined, with 24 crowding the tower. The largest of these, nicknamed “Dull Nicholas” locally due to its deep, bassy tone, bears the inscription "CelorumXte placeat tibi rex sonus iste" ("O Christ, King of Heaven, may the sound please Thee").

The bells are a notable part of daily life in Joseph Town, ringing out every 15 minutes during the daytime and every tolling on the hour during the night. During national celebrations, the full peal of bells is rung, with some claiming to have heard the cacophony from as far as 20 kilometers away.

Religious use

The Cathedral’s primary purpose is to serve as a place of worship for followers of the Protestantse Kerk in de Zuidzee-eilanden. It does this by hosting services twice per day Monday to Saturday (at 10am and 5pm) and every two hours on Sundays, from 8am until 8pm. The regular congregation consists of around 250-300 worshippers, while special occasions such as Easter of Christmas see the Cathedral filled to capacity.

Baptisms, weddings, and funerals are all performed in the Cathedral, leading to a common joke among locals that the building “hatches, matches, and dispatches” the population of Joseph Town.

The outbuildings surrounding the Cathedral on the southern and eastern sides host the small secretariat of the Protestantse Kerk in de Zuidzee-eilanden as well as a number of charitable groups.

Other functions

In addition to its religious functions, the Cathedral can be hired for private and civic events, subject to approval by the congregation. This has seen the building host wine and beer festivals, concerts, community lunches, overnight camps for youth groups, Christmas tree festivals, and much more.