St Paul's Triple Celebration on Sunday
St Paul’s Cathedral in the mid 1850s
St Paul’s Cathedral in Victoria marks its 150th anniversary this Sunday with a threefold celebration in a day full of activities.
The Diocese is celebrating the feast of the Conversion of St Paul which was on 24th January, the Annual Diocesan Festival and most importantly the 150th anniversary of the Cathedral.
The 150th anniversary fell on 15th May last year but the Diocese decided to spread the celebration over one year, until 15th May 2010. It will now be marked on Sunday together with the thanksgiving service and the diocesan festival.
In addition to the service which starts at 10 am on Sunday, and which will bring all the parishes of the Diocese to the Cathedral, there will be activities in the church yard thereafter. They will include sales and games, with souvenirs of the 150th anniversary as a special feature. An exhibition showing the history of the Cathedral will also be on display and will remain open for about two weeks.
St Paul’s Cathedral was built in 1859 when the sea reached the to the edge of the site. It survived the ‘Avalanche’ three years later and has undergone several renovations. The initial tower, made of coral, was demolished in the late 1800s and replaced by a granite tower in the 1920s.
More recently the Cathedral, which used to face east, was turned to face south in 1978 and with the 2004 reconstruction it now faces west. Its size has also doubled although it has kept the same basic shape throughout. In the person of French Chang- Him, the Cathedral has seen the ordination of the first Seychellois Anglican priest, Bishop and Archbishop, as well as other notable events.
Source: Regar 2-5-10