Cathedral of Our Lady of Arabia, Catholic cathedral in Awali, Bahrain
The Cathedral of Our Lady of Arabia is a modern church building with an octagonal dome shaped like a tent and seating capacity for about 2300 worshippers. The structure includes two chapels and separate confession rooms for pastoral care.
King Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa gave 9,000 square metres of land for the cathedral on 11 February 2013, and in May 2014 presented Pope Francis with a scale model at the Vatican. Construction began on 31 May 2014 with a foundation stone taken from the Holy Door of St Peter's Basilica; the ground-breaking followed on 10 June 2018. After Vicar Apostolic Camillo Ballin died in April 2020, Paul Hinder oversaw the work. The cathedral was inaugurated on 9 December 2021 and consecrated the next day by Cardinal Luis Antonio Tagle.
Services are conducted in multiple languages including English, Arabic, Tagalog, Malayalam, and Konkani to serve worshippers from different backgrounds. This linguistic diversity reflects the multicultural makeup of the region's faith communities.
Visiting on weekdays makes it easier to navigate than on weekends when attendance is higher. The two chapels provide alternative spaces if the main worship area reaches capacity.
The foundation stone was cut from the Holy Door of St. Peter's Basilica in the Vatican and given to the Catholics of Arabia as a sign of union with the See of Rome. It was laid on 31 May 2014, before ground was broken in June 2018. The building has no cross or other religious sign on its exterior.
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