The Emmanuel Cathedral in Durban, a historical landmark
The Emmanuel Cathedral, a Roman Catholic Cathedral, is in Durban’s City Centre, on the corner of Cathedral Road and Denis Hurley Street. It is noticeable when driving on the N3 flyover into Durban.
It was built to replace St Joseph’s Church, which was used by the Catholic community in Durban from 1881. St Joseph’s Church was located in Durban’s Dr Pixley kaSeme Street (formerly known as West Street), which was noisy. Architects Street-Wilson and Paton were appointed oversee the construction of the Emmanuel Cathedral. The project however took much longer than anticipated and eventually a court battle ensued when the Church wanted to withhold payment to the architects.
The foundation stone was laid by Bishop Charles Jolivet OMI in January 1902 and the Emmanuel Cathedral was officially dedicated in November 1904. Parts of St Joseph’s have been incorporated into the Emmanuel Cathedral.
Next door to the Emmanuel Cathedral is the Juma Masjid Mosque and The Victoria Street Market is across the road.
Contact Emmanuel Cathedral on 031 306 3595. Office hours are Monday to Friday, 8:30am to 4:30pm and Saturdays from 8:30am to 12:30pm.