Sacred Heart Cathedral, Duke Town, Calabar.

Sacred Heart Cathedral is a Roman Catholic denomination. It was established in 18^th April 1950.

 

It is located at 69, Egerton Street, Duke town, Calabar Cross-River state, Nigeria. The style of architecture is Gothic but has some feature of Romanesque Architecture.

The Romanesque style of Architecture is seen on the exterior; the walls have Buttress and the Colonettes.

the Buttress and the colonette on the wall (Romanesques style)

The approach view or façade has three entrances. The doorway has pointed arches. Two of the entrance on the west and east wings are symmetrical in design, size and height. While the middle entrance is same design but bigger in height and size serves as the grand entrance.

The middle entrance is celebrated with colonettes and triangle carvings. A Tower is attached to the building where the grand entrance is found. The Tower is capped with a concrete Pinnacle.

Immediately above the grand entrance, has the statue of Mary the mother of Jesus, enclosed between two colonettes and an arc, it served as a shade for the status.

the dark shaded colour is the statue of Mary

On the west and east view has an entrance and a transept. The windows on Aisle are larger, stained and it has pointed arches. The windows are pivoted and made from steel. While the clerestory windows are small pivoted rectangular windows, with pointed arches.

large windows on the aisle and clerestory small windows

The exterior walls are made from mortar blocks, smaller in height compare to the regular height. The exterior walls are not plastered and it painted with grey colour paint. On the interior side of the walls is plastered and painted with light colours while the arches are painted with grey colour oil paint to lay emphasis on the arches.  

    The roof is covered with green colour long span aluminum roofing sheets. The roof eaves on the Aisle are supported with steel which is attached to the wall. The roof eaves on the Nave are supported by the steel roof trusses extending out from the wall. On the Nave the roof has a gutter which collects rain water and it flows on the Aisle roof through PVC pipes.

Wall sconce lights are place on the Buttress. 

showing the components

The exterior flooring is finished with interlocking tiles, while the interior flooring is finished with terrazzo. The roof trusses are exposed and it is made from steel. Wooden ceiling batten is also used at the entrance point and it rest on the columns.  The design on the interior capital has a little resemblance with the Corinthian capital order.

 

terrazzo floor finishes

wooden ceiling being supported by the column.

transept having an entrance, large windows and rose windows

exterior floor finish

Furniture is long polished wooden bench. On the transept it has two large windows and a rose window with a doorway, which serves as an entrance into the transept