View source for Munyonyo Martyrs' Shrine

{{Short description|Roman Catholic shrine and Minor Basilica in Munyonyo, Uganda}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=July 2019}}
{{Infobox religious building
| building_name= Munyonyo Martyrs Shrine
| image=Munyonyo Martyrs Shrine Church.jpg
| image_size=300px
| caption=Basilica and martyrdom spot.
| location=[[Munyonyo]], [[Kampala]], {{flag|Uganda}}
| geo=
| religious_affiliation=[[Roman Catholic]]
| district= [[Archdiocese of Kampala]]
| consecration_year= 2017
| status=[[Minor Basilica]], [[Shrine]]
| leadership= [[Franciscan|Greyfriars]]
| website=[http://www.munyonyo-shrine.ug Homepage]
| architect=Robert Sseremba
| architecture_style=
| groundbreaking =2015
| year_completed= 2016
| specifications = yes
| capacity = 1600
| length =
| width =
| height_nave =
| height_max = 47 m.
| dome_dia_outer =
}}
The '''Munyonyo Martyrs’ Shrine''' is a [[Roman Catholic]] shrine and [[Minor Basilica]] dedicated to the [[Ugandan Martyrs]].
==Location==
The church is located at [[Munyonyo]], [[Kampala]], in [[Central Region, Uganda|Central Uganda]]. Munyonyo is located approximately {{convert|13|km|mi}}, by road, south of the [[central business district]] of [[Kampala]], Uganda's [[capital city|capital]] and largest city in that [[East Africa]]n country.
[[File:St. Kizito being baptised by St. Charles Lwanga at Munyonyo.jpg|thumb|left|''St. Kizito being baptised by St. Charles Lwanga at Munyonyo.'']]
==Overview==
Munyonyo Martyrs Shrine is the martyrdom place of leaders in Royal enclave; St. [[Andrew Kaggwa]] and St. [[Denis Ssebuggwawo Wasswa|Denis Ssebugwawo]] - Uganda Martyrs killed by [[Mwanga II of Buganda|King Mwanga II]] on 26 May 1886 canonized by [[Pope Paul VI]] in 1964. It is also a place where in 1886 [[Saint Charles Lwanga]] - leader of Christian community in Uganda baptized [[Saint Kizito|St. Kizito]], [[Mbaga Tuzinde|St. Mbaga]], [[Gyavira Musoke|St. Gyavira]] and [[Mugagga Lubowa|St. Muggaga]].
[[File:King Mwanga.jpg|220px|thumb| ''King Mwanga on stained glass at Munyonyo'']]
==History==
[[File:Journey for death.jpg|thumb|left|''Monument at Munyonyo marking the spot from where future martyrs walked for death'']]
[[File:African Martyrdom.jpg|thumb|left|''Martyrdom of Andrew Kaggwa'']]
[[File:St. Andrew Kaggwa tomb.jpg|thumb|left|''Open amphitheatre built on the tomb of the martyr'']]
It was at [[Munyonyo]] where [[Mwanga II of Buganda|King Mwanga]] took the fateful decision to begin putting Christians to death. The blood of [[Uganda Martyrs|Ugandan's martyrs]] was shed on the soil around Munyonyo. The first three Christians to render their lives for Christ's sake after the King's decision did so on 26 May 1886 – they were: St. [[Denis Ssebuggwawo Wasswa|Denis Ssebugwawo]], St. [[Andrew Kaggwa]] and St. [[Pontiano Ngondwe]].
[[File:Martyrdom of St. Denis.jpg|220px|thumb| ''Place where St. Danis was speared'']]
In [[Munyonyo]], all of the King's Christian pageboys were captured and sentenced to death at [[Namugongo]] (the Kingdom's designated place for execution). The prisoners were grievously bound to each other, and were made to walk their life's final journey escorted by merciless soldiers; theirs was a brutal and soul-inspiring last pilgrimage.  On the way to Namugongo, at a lonely spot by the side of a road in Kyamula, [[Pontiano Ngondwe|Pontiano]] was martyred – he was the third Ugandan whose love of Christ outshone his desire for life itself. That same day in Munyonyo, servant of God, Fr. Symeon Lourdel (Mapeera) was desperately seeking an audience with the [[Mwanga II of Buganda|King Mwanga]] in order to intervene for condemned Christians. However, he was not permitted to see King.
Having intuited the grave and imminent danger which was about to befall Uganda's Christian community, as night fell on 25 May 1886, [[Charles Lwanga]] (the leader of Uganda's Christian community) secretly baptised four catechumens at Munyonyo: [[Saint Kizito|St. Kizito]], [[Mbaga Tuzinde|St. Mbaga]], [[Gyavira Musoke|St. Gyavira]] and [[Mugagga Lubowa|St. Muggaga]] The very morning, King Mwanga brought his whole court before him and separated the Christians from the rest saying, "those who do not pray stand by me, those who do pray stand over there". He proceeded to ask the fifteen boys and young men standing apart whether they were Christian and, if they were, whether they intended to remain so. When they answered "Yes" with strength and courage, Mwanga condemned them all to death. After a short imprisonment, the future martyrs subsequently walked, staggered and were often dragged over a number of days until they finally reached the martyrdom site in [[Namugongo]] (3 June 1886).
==Recent events==
In 2014, Uganda celebrated 50 years since the [[Uganda Martyrs]] were canonized and elevated to [[Sainthood]] by [[Pope Paul VI]] on 18 October 1964. Uganda Martyrs Shrine in Munyonyo is a thanksgiving monument for their canonization. Official groundbreaking was on 3 May 2015 by Papal Nuncio to Uganda; Archbishop [[Michael A. Blume]] and Cardinal [[Emmanuel Wamala]]. Redevelopment includes construction of new church shrine, museum, offices and martyrdom spots of the saints.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.ntv.co.ug/news/local/03/may/2015/papal-nuncio-launches-construction-munyonyo-martyrs-shrine-5886|title=Papal nuncio launches construction of Munyonyo martyrs shrine - NTV|work=ntv.co.ug|date=4 July 2020 }}</ref>
Since October 2013, the shrine has been administered by a [[Franciscan]] religious order of Greyfriars - [[Conventual Franciscans]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.munyonyo-shrine.ug|title=Shrine Page|work=munyonyo-shrine.ug}}</ref>
[[Pope Francis]] visited and blessed the cornerstone of the Shrine on 27 November 2015 during his journey to Africa.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://w2.vatican.va/content/francesco/en/travels/2015/outside/documents/papa-francesco-africa-2015.html|title=Pope Francis Apostolic Journeys outside Italy|work=vatican.va}}</ref>
The construction of the new church was completed in 2016 and the shrine was consecrated on 28 October 2017 by Cardinal [[Fernando Filoni]].
On 19 July 2019, The [[Holy See]] granted the church the title and dignity of a [[Minor Basilica]]. The decree was signed by Cardinal [[Robert Sarah]], Prefect of the [[Congregation for Divine Worship and the Discipline of the Sacraments]] on behalf of [[Pope Francis]].
==See also==
* [[Uganda Martyrs]]
* [[Namugongo]]
* [[Lubaga]]
* [[Roman Catholicism in Uganda]]
* [[Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Kampala]]
==References==
{{reflist}}
==External links==
{{commons category|Munyonyo Martyrs Shrine}}
* [http://www.munyonyo-shrine.ug/ Munyonyo Uganda Martyrs' Shrine Website]
{{coord missing|Uganda}}
{{Authority control}}
[[Category:Roman Catholic churches in Uganda]]
[[Category:Buildings and structures in Kampala]]
[[Category:Buganda]]
[[Category:Roman Catholic churches completed in 2017]]
[[Category:21st-century Roman Catholic church buildings]]