Saint Peter and Paul Basilica

Visit Saint Peter and Paul Basilica, which was recently elevated to the status of a basilica, to see the biggest wooden edifice in the Western Hemisphere. In the heart of Suriname's main city, Paramaribo stands the wooden Roman Catholic church known as the Cathedral-Basilica of Saints Peter and Paul, commonly known as Saint Peter and Paul Basilica.

Originally, the city's Catholic community worshiped in a church that had been converted from a Dutch Jewish theater constructed in 1809 to 1826. Particularly, De Verrezene Phoenix, a former Dutch Jewish theater constructed in 1809, was converted into a church in 1826 by the Roman Catholic Church of Paramaribo. The church grew too tiny as the years went by to accommodate the city's expanding Catholic population. The diocese made the decision to construct the cathedral in 1882. Although Saint Peter and Paul Basilica were dedicated in 1885, the towers were not finished until 1901. In spite of a subpar renovation that was finished in 1977, the structure started to tilt and have termite issues. The cathedral was restored to its functional condition in 2002 after major renovations. Formal repair of the cathedral began in 2007 with money from the European Union, and three years later, on November 13, 2010, the church reopened. In 2014, Pope Francis named the cathedral a minor basilica.

The biggest wooden building in the Western Hemisphere is Saint Peter and Paul Basilica. There are two confessionals in the cathedral. Inside, tourists can see three different-sized bells in the tower, a burial for the Dutch-Surinamese priest Peter Donders, who cared for lepers in Batavia, as well as elaborate woodwork and decorations.