Description of the attraction
The Roman Catholic Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception of Our Lady with a 61-meter bell tower is located on Independence Square, next to the Rovuma Hotel and Maputo Town Hall. The foundation stone of the temple was laid on June 28, 1936 and consecrated by the Bishop of Mozambique and Cape Verde, Rafael Maria da Anunçao.
The cathedral, designed by the Portuguese civil engineer who later headed the local railroad, Marcial Simoes de Freitas y Costa, was completed in 1944. The architect Freitas y Costa admired the simple architectural style and modern building materials used in the construction of temples in Europe at that time. As a result, concrete and cement were chosen for the construction of the Maputo Cathedral.
The building of the Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception with its design and the location of the bell tower resembles the Church of Notre-Dame-du-Rency in Le Rency, built in 1921-1923 by the architect Auguste Perret. The shape of the dome of Freitas y Costa was borrowed from the Church of Nossa Senora de Fatima in Lisbon, built in 1934-1938 by Pardal Monteiro. The simplicity of the cathedral's decoration and the choice of such simple materials were also driven by financial problems.
The cathedral is built in the shape of a Latin cross. The facade of the building is symmetrical and has a stepped shape. The narthex has a spiral staircase that leads to the tower.
The interior of the single nave is 66 meters long and 16 meters wide, in Art Deco style and decorated with works by artists such as Francisco Franco, Antonio Lino, Simones de Almeida, Leopoldo de Almeida Maya and Antonio Ribeiro.
