
Sacred Heart Cathedral, Suva
The Sacred Heart Cathedral, also known as the Cathedral of Suva, is Fiji’s most prominent Roman Catholic temple. Located on Pratt Street, its construction began 1894 but wasn’t completed until 1939, some 150 years after the first Marist missionaries arrived in Fiji. The Gothic design includes sandstone blocks imported from Australia, concrete staircases and balustrades, and two towers. The central stained-glass window, above the altar, contains an image of a bilo (coconut shell cup), beneath the Sacred Heart of Jesus.
The cathedral serves as the headquarters of the Metropolitan Archdiocese of Suva (Archidioecesis suvana), which was created in 1966 by Pope Paul VI by bull "Prophetarum voices". A crypt, completed in 1896, now contains the remains of Archbishop Emeritus Petero Mataca, who was entombed here in 2014. The cathedral is depicted on a Fiji stamp issued in 1979.
If you retrace your steps back to the Ivi Triangle and cross Scott Street, you’ll find Suva’s most distinctive art deco treasure.
The cathedral serves as the headquarters of the Metropolitan Archdiocese of Suva (Archidioecesis suvana), which was created in 1966 by Pope Paul VI by bull "Prophetarum voices". A crypt, completed in 1896, now contains the remains of Archbishop Emeritus Petero Mataca, who was entombed here in 2014. The cathedral is depicted on a Fiji stamp issued in 1979.
If you retrace your steps back to the Ivi Triangle and cross Scott Street, you’ll find Suva’s most distinctive art deco treasure.
Sight description based on Wikipedia.
Want to visit this sight? Check out these Self-Guided Walking Tours in Suva. Alternatively, you can download the mobile app "GPSmyCity: Walks in 1K+ Cities" from iTunes App Store or Google Play Store. The app turns your mobile device to a personal tour guide and it works offline, so no data plan is needed when traveling abroad.
Sacred Heart Cathedral on Map
Sight Name: Sacred Heart Cathedral
Sight Location: Suva, Fiji (See walking tours in Suva)
Sight Type: Religious
Guide(s) Containing This Sight:
Sight Location: Suva, Fiji (See walking tours in Suva)
Sight Type: Religious
Guide(s) Containing This Sight:
Walking Tours in Suva, Fiji
Create Your Own Walk in Suva
Creating your own self-guided walk in Suva is easy and fun. Choose the city attractions that you want to see and a walk route map will be created just for you. You can even set your hotel as the start point of the walk.
FijiGuide Suva Walking Tour
Suva can lay certain claim to being the largest and perhaps the most livable city in the South Pacific outside New Zealand or Australia. The capital of Fiji since 1883, it is set on 15 sq km of peninsula adjacent to one of the finest naturally protected harbors in the South Seas, and is a home for about 330,000 residents (including suburbs and neighboring communities).
Apart from being the... view more
Tour Duration: 2 Hour(s)
Travel Distance: 3.2 Km or 2 Miles
Apart from being the... view more
Tour Duration: 2 Hour(s)
Travel Distance: 3.2 Km or 2 Miles