Description of the attraction
Cathedral of St. John (John the Evangelist), rises on a hill in the city of St. John. It is the center of the diocese of the Roman Catholic Church in the northeastern Caribbean.
The current temple, with its massive white twin towers, was built from reef limestone in 1845. Now we can observe its third version, since natural disasters in 1683 and 1745 destroyed the previous structures. The first church before the current one, the Anglican Church of St. John (1681), was a simple wooden building without decorations and stood until the earthquake in 1745. The second, much larger in size, was built in 1746 from English ballast bricks and was decorated with a short spire at the western end. Almost a century later, in 1842, the Diocese of Antigua was established and the main temple in St. John's was chosen. However, shortly thereafter, in February 1843, an earthquake severely damaged the church, but it was partially rebuilt. The construction of a new temple was planned, which began on October 9, 1845. Sir Charles August Fitzroy, Governor of Antigua, laid the first stone, and after three years, the cathedral was dedicated to the solemn consecration of the temple and the first divine service. The new temple accommodated 2,200 parishioners.
The current church is 48 m long and 14 m wide, the length of the transverse nave is 32 m. The building is made of stone, with stained glass windows and dark pine furniture. Some of the interior items and marble plaques on the walls were removed from the old church after the earthquake. The cathedral has two towers 21 m high in the style of baroque architecture with aluminum-colored domes. The design drew derision, the building was called a "pagan cathedral with pepperpots on the sides," and is now considered the best church in the province. Noteworthy is the gate on the southern wall with columns depicting the figures of John the Theologian and John the Baptist. They were taken to the temple in 1756 from a captured French ship.
The cathedral is located at the highest point of the city, with panoramic views of the island from its platforms, and the adjacent picturesque old cemetery is used as a park for walking.
