| St. Joseph's Cathedral | |
|---|---|
| كاتدرائية القديس يوسف | |
 St. Joseph's Cathedral (Latin Church) of Baghdad, 2016 | |
 St. Joseph's Cathedral | |
| Location | Baghdad |
| Country | Iraq |
| Denomination | Catholic Church |
| Administration | |
| Diocese | Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Baghdad |
TheSt. Joseph's Cathedral[1] (Arabic:كاتدرائية القديس يوسف) orLatin Cathedral of St. Joseph[2] orChurch of the Latins (Arabic:كنيسة اللاتين) orChurch ofthe Virgin Lady (Arabic:كنيسة السيدة العذراء),[3] is aCatholiccathedral located onal-Jumhuriya Street inBaghdad,[4][5] the capital ofIraq.
Because it is in the jurisdiction of the Latin Church, it is sometimes called the Latin Cathedral of St. Joseph in order to distinguish it from theChaldean Cathedral of St. Joseph dedicated to the same saint but belonging to theChaldean Catholic Church (also in communion with theHoly See). St. Joseph's functions as the cathedral of theArchdiocese of Baghdad (Bagdathensis Latinorum) which was established in 1643 as a diocese and elevated to its present status in 1848.
The Cathedral's churchyard also contains the tomb ofAnastase-Marie al-Karmali (1866–1947), Iraqi Catholic priest and Discalced Carmelite friar, as well as lexicologist, lexicographer, and philologist of the Arabic language.[6]
The Cathedral was built at the end of the 19th century on the land that had been a school of the same name since 1737. It was completed in Baghdad in 1871 after five years of work and was built for the Latin community in the city. DuringWorld War I, the Cathedral was turned into a hospital by theOttomans but after Ottoman defeat, the cathedral returned to a place of worship and was renovated in 1923. During World War II, Polish troops stationed in Baghdad in 1942 and 1943 celebratedDivine Liturgy in the cathedral along with the bishops. One of these bishops, Bishop Joseph Gaolina, has a bronze statue dedicated to him inside the cathedral.[6]
In recent years, the cathedral is suffering from neglect due to government oversight and is in dire need of restoration. The paint of the exterior and dome are worn out and require extensive restoration, and the exterior joints must be treated to ensure the roof is waterproof. It has also been suffering from inconvenience due to theShorja market it is surrounded by and the exodus of Christians from the areas that surround the Church to more modern neighborhoods in the city. Despite this, the cathedral remains one of the most important landmarks for Christians living in the old Christian quarter of Baghdad.[6]
The cathedral is built in Iraqi architecture and uses traditional bricks that were used in Iraq to build structures, including both mosques and churches. The walls of the cathedral are 4 meters thick in order to keep warmth during winter and keep cool in the summer and its level of the foundations are slightly below street level due to subsidence of the ground. All the doors and windows are of the building are embowed, representing anAbbasid-inspired architecture. The building is topped with a 32 meters hemispherical dome with a circular cylinder and windows at the level of the church wing and at the top is a cross. The churchyard contains a graveyard that includes the tombs of the Carmelite fathers, the founders of the Church, as well as graves of monks andnuns. The tomb ofAnastase-Marie al-Karmali is also located here.[6]
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