Uganda Martyrs Shrine Namugongo

Uganda Martyrs Shrine Namugongo: One of the most popular tourist destinations in Uganda is the Martyrs Shrine Namugongo. The shrine, which doubles as a cathedral, is crucial to the nation’s religious and cultural life. Pilgrims from all over the world regularly visit it.

About 15 kilometers from Kampala City, in the Wakiso region of Namugongo, is the Uganda Martyr’s shrine. Built in honor of the 22 Catholic martyrs who were murdered between 1885 and 1887 by King Kabaka Mwanga 11, it is one of the largest and most distinctive Roman Catholic churches in Africa.

The construction of the Uganda victims Shrine began in 1967 and was finished in 1975. It was constructed on the precise location where Charles Lwanga and most of the other victims were executed, as well as where the ancient parish church had stood.

The towering shrine was built with wooden doors and an African hut architectural style. The Basilica shrine features exquisite and distinctive architectural and interior designs, as well as 22 copper pillars that are more than 100 feet long.

The shrine can accommodate roughly a thousand people, with the chairs arranged in a circle. In remembrance of the Catholic martyrs, a lake was dug out at the shrine, and a pavilion shaped like a contemporary boat was constructed there, offering a clear view of Namugongo shrine. The water that pilgrims drink from the lake is said to have therapeutic properties.

With a seating capacity of over 300 priests and bishops, the grass-thatched pavilion was built in a circular shape similar to the shrine and serves as the main gathering place for major celebrations like Martyrs Day. A portion of the relics were brought back to the shrine for adoration after it was finished and were displayed in a glass case in front of the altar.

The background of the Namugongo Martyrs Shrine in Uganda

When the Catholic martyrs, ages 24 and 22, refused to reject the Christian faith that Kabaka Mwanga’s father had established, they were executed in 1885 and 1887 on his orders.

Some of the twenty-two victims were pages in the king’s palace, while others were homestead heads when they first became Christians. Nine of the twenty-two martyrs were executed elsewhere, while thirteen were burned at Namugongo.

The first person assassinated in November 1885 was Christian leader Joseph Mukasa Balikuddembe, who served as the king’s top steward and major domo. Because he had begged King Mwanga not to execute Bishop James Hannington, an Anglican missionary who had invaded Buganda through the backdoor, commonly known as Busoga, Joseph Mukisa was killed and burned at Kampala’s Nakivubo Swamp.

Achilles Kiwanuka, Ambrose Kibuuka, Luke Banabakintu, Adolphus Mukasa Ludigo, Anatoli Kiriggwajjo, Bruno Sserunkuuma, Gyavira, Kizito, James Buzaalilyawo, Mbanga Tuzinde, Mukasa Kiriwawanvu, and Muggaga are among the twelve Catholic martyrs who were burned at the Namugongo Holocaust. Thirteen Anglican martyrs, six inmates serving death sentences for other offenses, and these Catholic martyrs were all burned.

The Catholic martyrs who were killed outside of Namugongo include Atthanasius Bazzekuketta and Mukasa Balikuddembe, who were killed at the Balikuddembe market; Pontian Ngondwe, who was killed at Kyamula; Ssebuggwaawo Denis and Andrew Kaggwa, who were killed at Munyonyo; Matthias Kalemba Mulumba, who was killed at old Kampala; Gonzaga Gonza, who was killed at Kamuli Lubaawo; Neo Mawaggali, who was killed at Kiyinda Mityana; and John Mary Muzeeyi, who was the final of the 22 martyrs killed. His body was dumped into a swamp at Kisenyi-Mengo.

Following the death of Joseph Mukasa, who was chosen by Senkoole to be the next victim of the Holocaust, Charles Lwanga, one of the 22 Catholic martyrs, became the Christian head of the Catholic and Protestant religion on June 3, 1886. Senkoole led Lwanga to a location approximately fifty yards away from the road and let him set up his own firewood deathbed. He was wrapped in reeds and burned slowly from the feet to the head, writhing and moaning until he passed away without letting forth a sound.

Because the king believed that the victims were not deserving of descent burials and that anyone who buried any of the victims’ remains would be viewed as a traitor, the executors stayed at the scene after the martyrs were killed, adding more firewood to the fire to ensure that all of the victims’ remains burned to ashes. Three Christians, Matayo Kirevu, Bwaliri Kamywa, and Lewo Lwanga, who were afraid of being accused of treason, went to Namugongo one night and gathered the remains of St. Charles Lwanga six months after the 22 Catholic martyrs were slaughtered. Around eight in the morning, they brought the remains to Fr. Lourdel at the mission, where they were cleansed, wrapped in a crimson cloth, placed in a copper case, and interred in the Nabulagala church’s sacristy. The box containing the bones was lost when the mission was abandoned and the church was destroyed by fire as a result of religious conflicts.

Henry, the Archbishop of Buganda, delivered the box containing St. Charles Lwanga’s remains to a catechist who had found it while excavating his yard in November 1892. After being kept in the Archbishop’s chapel, the bones were later transported to Saint Peter’s Basilica in Rome for a 1964 canonization ceremony alongside those of other martyrs by Pope Paul VI.

In 1918, two of the twenty-four Catholic martyrs were slain in northern Uganda at Paimol Gulu. On the same day, two members of the Acholi tribe, Daudi Okello and Jildo Irwa, who were catechists, were baptized and confirmed. Among other things, they united the church, encouraged peace among people, and spread the gospel of faith by word and deed after moving outside of their ethnic group. A group of invaders killed Daudi and Jildo by dragging them from the hut, pushing them to the ground, and then spearing them through the body. It took a few days for the two bodies of Daudi and Jildo to be buried after some locals bound them with ropes and pulled them to a termite mound that was deserted. In February 1926, the bodies of Daudi Okello and Jildo Irwa were gathered and brought to the Kitgum mission church at the altar foot of the sacred heart.

Every year on June 3rd, which is Martyr’s Day, Uganda honors these valiant martyrs. For the past 96 years, Uganda has commemorated this occasion. Pilgrims from all over the world, particularly from nearby nations like South Sudan, Tanzania, Kenya, and the Democratic Republic of the Congo, flock to this day. The Uganda Martyr’s Shrine is regularly visited by students from schools throughout Uganda. As a sacrifice in remembrance of the martyrs who were slaughtered for their fervent Christian beliefs, clergy members walk barefoot to the shrine of Namugongo from all directions. There are several activities on Martyrs Day, including plays, singing, cuisine, baptism, and prayers.

In conclusion, if you’re ever in Uganda, you should definitely check out the Uganda Martyrs Shrine Namugongo. Along with other fascinating locations including the Uganda Museum, King’s Palace in Mengo, the Ndeere Cultural Center, and the Idi Amin Torture Chambers, you may see the site when you’re on a tour of Kampala City. By purchasing any trip package from Budget Gorilla Trekking, you can go to any of these locations.