Rubaga Cathedral is the mother cathedral of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Kampala which is the oldest Roman Catholic diocese in Uganda.
Rubaga Cathedral is located on one of the seven hills of Kampala, Rubaga hill in Lubaga Division. The cathedral is situated about 3 kilometers westwards by road from Kampala city centre. Rubaga hill rises to 4,134 feet and it was once a home to the palace of the 30th Kabaka of Buganda Muteesa I. Kabaka Muteesa I reigned from 1856 to 1884 shifted from this hill to one of the nearby hills of Kampala called Mengo after his palace had been destroyed by fire. Later on in 1889, his successor Mwanga II donated the hill to the first Catholic missionaries who were also known as White Fathers and locally called Wafaransa meaning the French to set up their church and at the same time the Anglicans were given Namirembe hill also to set up their Anglican church there. The kings of Buganda used to allocate these missionaries different places to avoid conflicts among the followers.
Missionaries started the construction of a modern cathedral on this hill in 1914 and it was completed in 1925. On 31 December 1925,St. Mary’s Cathedral Rubagawas consecrated. This is where we find the home of the Archbishop of Kampala diocese Dr. Cyprian Kizito Lwanga. Close to the church, there is Rubaga Hospital. Rubaga Cathedral has cemeteries of several prominent people that served in the Catholic religion including late Archbishop Joseph Kiwanuka who was the first black Archbishop of the south Sahara, Uganda’s first cardinal Emmanuel nsubuga and some missionaries among others. This is one of the popular places of worship in Kampala yet even situated on one of the famous and historical hills of Kampala. These hills and more can be seen during your Kampala city tour.