Visit Kampala

Bahai Temple situated three Kilometers from Kampala city center is the only Bahai temple in Africa. The Temple consists of fascinating features like green and white Mosaic tiles outer facade and the blue painted Dome which attract both religious and tourists to the temple.

The Towering house of God stands on top of one of the original seven hills that make up the city of Kampala. Visible from all angles, especially in downtown Kampala, St Mary’s and Sacred Heart Cathedral Rubaga, is indeed a city landmark hardly missed by visitors coming to the Pearl of Africa.

Three Popes have been here in the past. It was again here on July 29, 1969 that Pope Paul VI closed the African bishops Synod hosted by Uganda while Pope John Paul II too came here on February 8, 1993, where he met Catholic bishops and priests after a prayer service. He planted a tree in the courtyard and also inaugurated the memorial clock near the parish entrance. Besides the Popes, The Archbishop of Canterbury Robert Runcie on January 28, 1984, visited Rubaga Cathedral and conducted a joint prayer with Emmanuel Cardinal Nsubuga. So did Archbishop Runcie’s successor George Carey in the early 1990s. Archbishop Carey planted a tree outside the cathedral, which still stands today. “It is the mother of all churches in Uganda whose location was once home to the first Catholic missionaries in this country.

The Cathedral’s location being in the metropolitan capital and centre, gives Rubaga Cathedral an edge over others. St Mary’s Cathedral Rubaga as seen today is said to accommodate 5,000 worshippers. It is 248 feet long (260 if the walls are considered) and 63 feet wide. The transept measures 152 feet (162 including the walls) while the height from the floor to the ceiling is 50 feet. Some 2.5 million bricks were used to complete the Cathedral. The idea of building this “mother-of-all-churches” in Uganda came from Bishop Henry Halon in 1901 who launched an appeal to all Catholics to contribute financially towards a building fund.

We are a Catholic Parish and Shrine in Kampala Archdiocese dedicated to Our Lady Queen of Martyrs, and established in the honor of the Martyrs of Uganda by the Mill Hill Missionaries in 1935; 49 years after the Namugongo holocaust.

The Shrine is approximately on twenty six hectares of land gazette for Mass, recollections, seminars, retreats, reflections, meditation, fellowships, crusades, weddings, and faith based tours.

In our proximity are schools, a medical center, congregation houses, retreat centers and residences of the local community.
We have enough Catholic priests on ground, available to attend to the spiritual needs of the pilgrims and parishioners every day of the week, with the parish offices open from Monday to Friday from 08:30 am to 05:00 pm EAT.

The pilgrims’ office is open to the public every day of the week from 08:30 am to 06:00 pm EAT, with pilgrims guides available to enlighten the pilgrims about the Uganda Martyrs and the Shrine.

Day trips in Uganda especially around Kampala isn’t it without Uganda National mosque tour. Located at the Kampala hill, this religious place is ideal for those who seek an insight into Islam and Art. Originally called the Gaddafi National Mosque, the Uganda National Mosque is the biggest mosque in the East African region second biggest on the Continent after King Hassan Mosque in Casablanca, Morocco. It is located on the top of Old Kampala Hill, one of the 7 most distinct of the 23 hills that make up Kampala, Uganda’s largest urban center. These seven hills include Rubaga, Old Kampala, Mulago, Kololo, Kibuli, Namirembe and Makerere each holding distinctive religious, cultural or colonial significance landmark. A day trip to the mosque will provide more insight into the mosque’s history and its importance to Uganda as a nation.

The Uganda National Mosque sits on over 10 acres of land thus emerging as the second largest mosque in Africa, accommodating as much as 200,000 worshipers, seating up to 15,000 worshipers in the main mosque while holding another 1,100 in the gallery and 3,500 in the terrace.

It’s a two stories building and the mosque is on the upper floor while the offices are on the ground floor. The mosque is only opened on special occasions like weddings and Eid days while the offices are on the ground floor which is open at all times. It has large domes covered in brown mosaic and a minaret, (a prayer tower) rivalling the typical Ugandan ‘sky- scraper’ as a symbol of religious architectural superiority.
Tombs of Buganda Kings at Kasubi. The Tombs of Buganda Kings at Kasubi constitute a site embracing almost 30 ha of hillside within Kampala district. Most of the site is agricultural, farmed by traditional methods. At its core on the hilltop is the former palace of the Kabakas of Buganda, built in 1882 and converted into the royal burial ground in 1884. Four royal tombs now lie within the Muzibu Azaala Mpanga, the main building, which is circular and surmounted by a dome. It is a major example of an architectural achievement in organic materials, principally wood, thatch, reed, wattle and daub. The site's main significance lies, however, in its intangible values of belief, spirituality, continuity and identity.

Whether you call it Lubiri or Mengo, Kabaka’s Palace is home to the former Kabaka, the king of Buganda Kindom. It is located in Kampala, at the heart of Uganda. It comprises of both the supernatural or spiritual and the material kings. The spiritual kind is represented by royal drums and regalia – referred to as ‘Mujaguzo’ which like in any other kingdom, have a different palace, officials, servants and palace guards. The Royal Drums serve very critical roles in the kingdom which includes the pre-coronation rite of passage for the prince. Informing the subjects of the kingdom of a royal birth of a prince or a princess. Sounding an alarm upon the death of a material king and much more. However, it is believed that kings get lost in the forest rather than dying.