Cathedral of Our Lady of Peace

The Cathedral of Our Lady of Peace — also known by its original French name Cathédrale de Notre Dame de la Paix, its Portuguese variant Catedral de Nossa Senhora da Paz and its Hawaiian derivative Malia o ka Malu Hale Pule Nui — is a cathedral of the Roman Catholic Church in the United States. It is the motherchurch of the Diocese of Honolulu and houses the cathedra of the Bishop of Honolulu in Honolulu, Hawaii.

Development

On August 14, 1843, the Cathedral of Our Lady of Peace was consecrated and dedicated. However, it would be decades before the building would be truly considered completed. Several bishops in residence at the Cathedral of Our Lady of Peace remained unhappy with the construction and often commissioned renovations.

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August 14 - 1843

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When Louis Desire Maigret inherited the church as corporation sole by virtue of his office of bishop, the interior was furnished with a simple wooden altar, communion rail and pulpit. The floors were covered in lauhala leaf mats. The cathedra, also known then as the bishop's throne, was imported and installed. Throughout his term as bishop, Maigret also raised the ceiling, added a choir loft and galleries overlooking the nave and paneled the ceilings with bronze ornaments. He commissioned the installation of what is today the oldest surviving Aeolian Skinner pipe organ. Extensive marble work was done with the installation of a French marble altar. It was crowned by a triptych featuring statues of Our Lady of Peace looked upon by Saint Joachim and Saint Anne. The most prominent exterior achievement for Maigret was the installation of the first domed bell tower in the Hawaiian Islands. In 1866, the domed bell tower was stripped from the exterior by Maigret and replaced with a wooden spire topped with a cross.

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Louis Desire Maigret - Altar - Communion rail - Pulpit - Aeolian - Skinner - Pipe organ - French - Marble - Saint Joachim - Saint Anne - 1866 - Spire - Cross

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On December 24, 1893, Gulstan Ropert dedicated a bronze statue of Our Lady of Peace, hoisted onto a pedestal with plaques on four sides engraved in English, French, Portuguese and Hawaiian with the words, "In memory of the first Roman Catholic Church, Our Lady of Peace 1827 to 1893." The statue was a recreation of an original 16th century wooden carving still venerated in the Paris convent of the Congregation of the Sacred Hearts of Jesus and Mary.

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December 24 - 1893 - Gulstan Ropert - English - French - Portuguese - Hawaiian - 16th century - Paris - Convent

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When Libert Hubert John Louis Boeynaems inherited the church as corporation sole, he idealized the Cathedral of Our Lady of Peace to possibly become a beautiful Gothic cathedral similar to the more famous European churches of his homeland. He commissioned the renovation of the cathedral; it's first phase was the construction of an elaborate porch at the cathedral facade. The first phase was completed in 1910. In 1917, Boeynaems stripped the wooden spire from the exterior in favor of a concrete bell tower with clock. Overall, the construction projects were failures. The Gothic architecture did not match the Fort Street surroundings and became too costly for the apostolic vicariate to complete other phases. The Gothic dream died with Boeynaems.

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Libert Hubert John Louis Boeynaems - 1910 - 1917

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When Stephen Peter Alencastre assumed the episcopacy of the Hawaiian Islands, he stripped the Cathedral of Our Lady of Peace of all vestiges of its Gothic experiment. The Gothic porch was torn down, the walls were covered in plaster and painted white. Red Spanish terra cotta tiles covered the cathedral roof. In anticipation for the celebration of the centennial of the arrival of the first Roman Catholic missionaries to the Hawaiian Islands, the Italian government presented a gift of new white marble altar with statues of the Blessed Virgin Mary and Saint Joseph, parents of Jesus. Upon the completion of his construction projects, Alencastre established the Cathedral of Our Lady of Peace's present-day Romanesque revival style.

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Stephen Peter Alencastre - Spanish - Terra cotta - Saint Joseph - Jesus - Romanesque revival style

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