Latin Saint Joseph Cathedral Baghdad, Catholic cathedral on al-Jumhuriya Street, Baghdad, Iraq

The Latin Cathedral of St. Joseph stands on al-Jumhuriya Street in Baghdad, built of traditional Iraqi bricks with walls 4 metres thick that keep warmth in winter and cool in summer. Its doors and windows are arched in an Abbasid-inspired style, and a hemispherical dome 32 metres high, topped by a cross, covers the church. The foundations sit slightly below street level because the ground has subsided.

The cathedral was built on land that had held a school of the same name since 1737; work took five years and ended in 1871 for Baghdad's Latin community. The Ottomans turned it into a hospital during World War I, and it returned to worship and was renovated in 1923. Polish troops stationed in Baghdad in 1942 and 1943 celebrated Divine Liturgy here with the bishops.

The cathedral is also called the Church of the Latins or the Church of the Virgin Lady, and it is distinguished from the Chaldean Cathedral of St. Joseph, which is dedicated to the same saint. Inside, a bronze statue honours Bishop Joseph Gaolina, who celebrated Divine Liturgy here with Polish troops in 1942 and 1943.

The cathedral stands on al-Jumhuriya Street in the old Christian quarter, hemmed in by the Shorja market, so approach on foot and expect crowds and narrow lanes. Its foundations sit slightly below street level, and the 4-metre-thick walls keep the interior cool in summer. The exterior paint and dome are worn and awaiting restoration.

The cathedral grounds contain a graveyard where the remains of Anastas al-Karmali, a respected regional scholar, rest alongside early Carmelite monks. This burial place reveals connections between religious communities and local intellectuals spanning different eras.