The Church

Christ Church Cathedral
THE BUILDING


High Altar
The High Altar stands exactly where the whipping-post of the old slave market once was. The Altar mosaics were given by Miss. Caroline Thackeray, a cousin of an English novelist Thackeray.

Canterbury Cross
Near the font on the west wall, you can find an ancient cross from the Canterbury Cathedral in England. The cross has a stone attached to it from the wall of Canterbury Cathedral.

Livingstone’s Cross
On the north side above the pulpit, hangs a crucifix made of wood taken from the tree at Chitambo (Zambia) under which Livingstone’s heart was buried.

The Pillars
They are found at the nave near the baptistry. These pillars are made of marble and were erected upside down by mistake when Bishop Steere was away, by the time he came back it was too late to rectify the mistake.

Memorial Window To Sailors Of British Navy
The stained-glass window located behind the font was given in memory of British sailors who died in Zanzibar while engaged in suppressing the slave traffic.

Baptistry
This is at the entrance, there is a curved stone font for baptism of new Christians. The first local Christians to be baptized were in 1865.

Bell Tower
To the left of the entrance there is a bell tower. The clock in the tower was a present by Seyyid Barghash (Sultan of Zanzibar 1870-88) at whose request the tower was built slightly lower than that of his own palace, the Beit-El-Ajaib.

Bishop’s Throne And 14 Cannon Stalls
Behind the altar, eastern fashion, are the bishop’s throne and 14 locally carved stalls, a memorial to bishop Smythies (1883-94). Above the stalls are copper panels representing old testament figures. Above are 30 figures of angles representing the “rainbow around about the throne” (Rev, iv, 3).

Window In Memory Of The Missionaries Of UMCA
On the south wall near to the altar there is a stained-glass window. Below the window there are two copper plates dedicated a memorial of Livingstone and other missionaries of the UMCA for the service they offered to the church.

Bishop Steere’s Grave
At the foot of bishop’s throne behind the high alter is the grave of bishop Steere. Bishop Steere died in 1882 after a heart attack. The inscription on the grave in Swahili reads: “Here lies the body of Edward Steere our third bishop, who died in August 27 1882”.

The Choir And Congregants
The choir seats on the left side before the altar while the rest of the congregants seats on the two sides from Nave path.