Pharaoh
JF-Expert Member
- Mar 18, 2011
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[h=1]Catholic Diocese of Zanzibar[/h]
The Earliest Attempt To Found the Church: Portuguese Friars:[FONT=Verdana, Arial, Helvetica] [/FONT]
[FONT=Verdana, Arial, Helvetica]Although very little is known about the presence of the Catholic Church in Zanzibar
during the 200 years between 1500 and 1700 when the Portuguese were on the east coast of Africa, there is some evidence of its presence. A small chapel at Mambo Mzige, used by the Augustinian Friars
and later by the Capuchins and for seven years by the Spiritan missionaries until they could build, is incorporated in the Old Fort. which was built by the Portuguese in Zanzibar Town and still stands today. There is also the Swahili word "gereze", meaning "prison", which has its roots in the Portuguese word "igreja". meaning "church", but we don't have a record of how the two words became related.[/FONT]
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Part I "Yesterdays History" |
[FONT=Verdana, Arial, Helvetica]Although very little is known about the presence of the Catholic Church in Zanzibar
during the 200 years between 1500 and 1700 when the Portuguese were on the east coast of Africa, there is some evidence of its presence. A small chapel at Mambo Mzige, used by the Augustinian Friars
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Was a church turned into a prison?
Reference is made in John Baur's 2000 YEARS OF CHRISTIANITY IN AFRICA to an Augustinian Friar in Zanzibar who "enjoyed the friendship of the Sultan". Augustinian archives refer to Zanzibar as "the most fruitful mission centre". East Africans associated these Friars with service to the Portuguese traders and military personnel. Whatever else their activities might have been, all came to an abrupt end when Sultan . responding to a call from the people of tacked Zanzibar in 1650, killing many of the foreigners, including Augustinian Friars.[/FONT]