Pro-catedral Nossa Senhora da Luz Mindelo
Pro-Cathedral of Our Lady of the Light, also known as Pro-Catedral Nossa Senhora da Luz Mindelo in Portuguese is a Roman Catholic church located in the center city of Mindelo on the island of São Vicente, Cape Verde.
Pro-Catedral Nossa Senhora da Luz Mindelo was formally built-in 1862, but work only ended in 1863. Therefore it is considered one of the oldest buildings in Mindelo. However, the church began to expand in the area, leaving only the frontage intact in recent years. Pro-Catedral Nossa Senhora da Luz Mindelo is home to the Roman Catholic Diocese of Mindelo, which was established in 2003. The Diocese of Mindelo, Latin for Dioecesis Mindelensis, is the headquarters of the Catholic Church in Cape Verde owned and controlled by the Holy See and managed by Bishop Ildo Augusto Dos Santos Lopes Fortes.
To this day, there are no books that accurately record the construction of the church. Locals say what Pro-Catedral Nossa Senhora da Luz Mindelo looks like today as a result of public construction on the island that began in 1858 and 1859. Getting the church as it is today is a multistage process because of monetary constraints. Hence, Pro-Catedral Nossa Senhora da Luz Mindelo is considered to be typical of the 17th-century architecture of the proportions of the design, the triumphal arch, and the location of the sub altars.
It thereafter underwent a number of restorations, the greatest of which was made in 1927 by Father Lucas Machado, who also repaired the tower on top of the ancient part and extended the sacristy and terrace. The Parish Hall in the north was constructed by Father Fernando de Sousa on the sixth. A three-story structure constructed by architect Adelino Ivo dos Santos was added to the back in 2012 as part of a significant renovation that generated controversy. Many claims that the new building has produced esthetic disharmony where the new overlaps and the old is not respected, yet it has given Pro-Catedral Nossa Senhora da Luz Mindelo more room and helped with its administrative and parish functions. Either way, the church also deserves an interesting place to visit for those who are interested in Catholicism.
