| Holy Cross Cathedral | |
| Coordinates: | 6.4499°N 3.3966°W |
| Location: | Lagos |
| Country: | Nigeria |
| Denomination: | Catholic |
| Heritage Designation: | Lagos State Grade 3 listed building |
| Designated Date: | Listed Sites Preservation Law 2011 Properties Law |
| Architect: | Lazarus Borges da Silva and Francisco Nobre |
| Style: | French Gothic |
| Years Built: | 1934–1939 |
| Completed Date: | 1939 |
| Archdiocese: | Lagos |
| Archbishop: | Alfred Adewale Martins |
Holy Cross Cathedral is a Roman Catholic cathedral located in Lagos, Nigeria, and is the seat of the Archdiocese of Lagos. The Gothic style building was constructed in 1939, when the region was still administered as an apostolic vicariate, and thus was only elevated to the status of cathedral in 1950.
The first cathedral (considered a pro-cathedral) building was inaugurated in 1881 and built by stonemasons and architects Lazarus Borges da Silva and Francisco Nobre. After the death of Bishop Ferdinand Terrien in 1929, this original cathedral saw the ordination of the first three Yoruba priests, the late monsignors Lawrence Layode, Julius Onih, and Stephen Adewuyi, by Bishop Thomas Brodericks, the apostolic vicar of Western Nigeria.[1] By the 1930s, a larger cathedral was needed, and the older one was demolished. The current church building, of French Gothic style architecture, had its foundation stone laid on 6 August 1934 by Bishop Francis O'Rourke and was completed in 1939.[2] [3] [4]
Notable Members in the church's history include:1. S. J. Sawyerr2. Lourenzo Antonio Cardoso3. Lazaro Borges da Silva4. Francisco Nobre5. J. F. D. Branco6. Walter P. Siffre7. Albert Carrena8. David Evaristo Akerele9. J. T. Munis10. P. F. Gomes
On 18 April 1950, the apostolic vicariate of Lagos was elevated to metropolitan archdiocese in accordance with the papal bull entitled Laeto accepimus, issued by Pope Pius XII.
The latest Archbishop to be installed at the cathedral is Alfred Adewale Martins, who is incumbent since 2012.[5]
By year-end 2016, the archdiocese counted 3,274,000 baptized out of a total population of 12,276,000 which corresponds to 26.7% of the total.