One of the most impressive and unusual buildings in Georgetown is St George’s Cathedral, a Gothic classic, complete with flying buttresses, but built entirely in wood instead of stone.
The church was built in the 1890s to replace an earlier and smaller cathedral. The original plan was for a stone building, but the plan was rejected because it would have been too heavy and too costly. Instead, the committee decided, it would be built of “woods of the country and no others to be used.”
Most of the wood used is greenheart, one of many trees native to Guyana and other parts of the Amazon region; the only imported wood was pitch pine from North America for the ceiling.
Sadly, due to construction, there were only limited opportunities to view the interior while we were there, so that will have to wait for another visit. Among the features of the interior are religious items and historic memorabilia from several of Guyana’s Caribbean neighbors, as well as a chandelier presented by Queen Victoria.
One of my favorite views: the cathedral’s reflection on a modern neighbor.
