Affiliation Roman Catholicism Materials Wood, stone Capacity 250 | Status Functional Height 24 m Year consecrated 1858 | |
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Location Beach Street, Levuka, Ovalau, Fiji Leadership Presbytery Sacred Heart Mission Width 13 by 13 feet (4.0 m × 4.0 m) Architectural style Gothic Revival architecture | ||
The Sacred Heart Church, also known as the Church of the Sacred Heart or Sacred Heart Catholic Church, is a Roman Catholic church on the Fijian island of Ovalau, situated on Beach Street in the town of Levuka. The church's clock tower serves as a lighthouse to guide the ships to the port through an opening in the reef. The church is part of the heritage status accorded to Levuka by its inscription as a World Heritage Site by UNESCO.
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Features
The church, presbytery, and its detached tower were built by Father Louyot in traditional Gothic Revival architecture. The church is laid out in the form of a Latin Cross with the weatherboard structure, measuring 60 by 24 feet (18.3 m × 7.3 m), able to accommodate 250 people. The harmonium was added by Alexandre Fils. The presbytery, destroyed by a cyclone in 1905, was a two storey wooden structure adjacent to the church.
The 80-foot (24 m) high tower, square in shape, is constructed from stone masonry and measures 13 by 13 feet (4.0 m × 4.0 m). Its belfry contains four bells. The clock fitted on the tower is circular in shape and rings twice every hour at an interval of one minute; in local parlance the first ring is said to indicate the local "Fiji Time". The spire of the tower is fitted with a neon light in the form of a cross, which is used by ships to navigate safely through the Levuka Passage to the port; this light works in synchronization with another green light fitted on the hill.
History
The church was built in 1858 by the Marist Fathers as a part of the Presbytery of the Sacred Heart Mission, in Levuka, which was the first historical capital of Fiji during British colonial rule. Fr. Breheret served as the first priest of the church; the clock tower which is independent of the church was constructed to commemorate his joining the church. It is said to be the "oldest and best developed catholic mission in Fiji". The church was expanded in ensuing years. The church is part of the heritage status accorded to Levuka by its inscription as a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 2013 under Criteria (cultural) (ii) and (iv).