Shillong_Cathedral Catholic Church

It is also known as the Cathedral Church of Mary Help of Christians and it was built in 1936.This church is made on the same site where the first Church of Shillong was situated. It is one of the biggest and oldest churches in the archdiocese and in the whole of Northeast India. This Church is located in Laitumkhrah, Shillong. Besides being the pride of the Catholics of the region, the church has also become a great tourist attraction. The area is very beautiful everyone should visit this church once if they come to north east.

This Cathedral Church has been made earthquake resistant by filling the rock trenches with sand, which makes the foundation, strong. This cathedral was made a shrine in the year 1980. It was constructed atop an emerald-colored hill and has stunning stained glass installations and tall arches. The grave of the First Archbishop of the city, Hubert D'Rosario, is located near the church’s altar. Inside the church, a number of artwork displaying chapters and scenes from Holy Scriptures and the life stories of several Saints, are there. There are also 14 terracotta stations on the Cross. There is also an underground grotto church, carved out of a hill, dedicated to Our Lady of Lourdes. If the day is clear, from the Church’s site, one can see the views of Brahmaputra River and snow-clad Himalayan peaks. Of special beauty are the set of stained glass windows made in Grenoble, France in 1947. On the extreme left, as one faces the main altar is the grave of the first Archbishop of Shillong, His Grace the late Rt. Rev. Hubert D'Rosario, SDB., DD. His mortal remains are interred in the Church in accordance with centuries-old Catholic Church tradition. Next to the grave, just in front of the statue of Mary and the Child Jesus, is another altar. It is here that the special nine-day devotions are held every month.