Roman Catholic Cathedral of Phnom Penh

Coordinates: 11°34′31″N 104°55′01″E / 11.5752°N 104.917°E / 11.5752; 104.917
Source: Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.
Cathedral of Christ the King
Cathedral of Phnom Penh
Cathedral of Christ the King
Style
French Gothic
Completed1927
DemolishedApril 1975
Administration
DioceseApostolic Vicariate of Phnom Penh

Christ the King Cathedral, also known as the Cathedral of Phnom Penh (

Russei Keo District of the city on Monivong Boulevard
.

The construction of the cathedral began in the 19th century and was overseen by the

French colonial government in Cambodia. The architectural style has been described as resembling Reims Cathedral.[1] Shortly after the Khmer Rouge captured Phnom Penh at the end of the Cambodian Civil War
, the cathedral was destroyed.

History

In 1863,

Russei Keo District,[5] a few blocks away from Wat Phnom. A Bishop's Palace[6] and a church library[7] were built adjacent to the cathedral, which was hailed as an "architectural legacy of the French" by The New York Times.[8]

The grounds of the cathedral was the site of the Russei Keo refugee camp from May 1970 onwards. It harboured 10,000 refugees from

rectory of the cathedral was damaged.[10]

The Khmer Rouge eventually won the civil war and

Khmer Rouge rule of Cambodia.[11]

Despite its complete destruction, the empty land where the cathedral once stood became the location of a multi-faith Christmas celebration in 1979, the year the Khmer Rouge's regime was overthrown.[16] The Ministry of Posts and Telecommunications now stands on the site of the former cathedral.[4]

Architecture

The cathedral was built in a

Blessed Virgin Mary. Made of sandstone, the statue was inscribed with the words: "Queen of Justice, Love and Peace."[18] The only existing feature of the cathedral to survive the Khmer Rouge regime is a set of bells that were previously hung in the church's bell towers. They are now situated on the entrance steps of the National Museum of Cambodia.[12]

See also

References

  1. ^
    ISBN 9781407085708
    . Retrieved December 6, 2012.
  2. ^ a b c d Pilger, John (November 6, 1979). "Year Zero: horror haunts crippled Cambodia". The Ottawa Citizen. p. 7. Retrieved December 6, 2012.
  3. ^ a b "Cambodian Viets Go Home, But They've Never Seen It". The Lewiston Daily Sun. July 31, 1970. p. 9. Retrieved December 6, 2012.
  4. ^
    ISBN 9780199711734
    . Retrieved December 6, 2012.
  5. ISBN 9780824829230
    . Retrieved December 6, 2012.
  6. ISBN 9789748495842
    . Retrieved December 7, 2012.
  7. ^
    ISBN 9780801861079
    . Retrieved December 7, 2012.
  8. ^ a b c d e Shenon, Philip (June 25, 1995). "Phnom Penh's Faded Beauty". The New York Times. Retrieved December 6, 2012.
  9. ^ "Phnom Penh Under Attack by Infiltrators". Merced Sun-Star. Associated Press. October 6, 1972. p. 12. Retrieved December 7, 2012.
  10. ^ Esper, George (January 21, 1974). "South Vietnamese Concede Military Victory To China". The Robesonian. Lumberton. Associated Press. p. 2. Retrieved December 7, 2012.
  11. ^ a b c Thomas, Sarah J. "Prosecuting the Crime of Destruction of Cultural Property" (PDF). GenocideWatch.org. Genocide Watch. Retrieved December 13, 2012. Following its seizure of power in April 1975, the Khmer Rouge regime proclaimed a return to "Year Zero" and set about demolishing links to the past, to the outside world and to religion. The...regime attacked Christian places of worship, even disassembling the Catholic cathedral of Phnom Penh stone by stone until only a vacant lot remained. The Khmer Rouge destroyed all 73 Catholic churches in existence in 1975.
  12. ^
    ISBN 9781904955405
    . Retrieved December 7, 2012.
  13. ^ "The Right Rev Michael Evans – Roman Catholic Bishop of East Anglia who furthered the cause of ecumenism and helped to rebuild the persecuted Church in Cambodia". The Times. London. August 2, 2011. p. 48. Retrieved December 7, 2012. (subscription required)
  14. ^ Jones, Christopher (November 14, 1980). "Phnom Penh down, but on way back". The Vancouver Sun. p. 6. Retrieved December 7, 2012.
  15. ISBN 978-90-04-25763-4
    .
  16. ^ "Christmas spirit in Phnom Penh". The Sydney Morning Herald. Australian Associated Press. December 27, 1979. p. 4. Retrieved December 7, 2012.
  17. ^ "The road to Phnom Penh: Old Cambodia has almost vanished". The Daily News. Middlesboro. March 27, 1982. p. 8. Retrieved December 6, 2012.
  18. ^ Elegant, Robert S. (July 16, 1970). "Cambodians Fight, Back to the Wall". The Victoria Advocate. p. 4A. Retrieved December 6, 2012.
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