Namugongo: Guillotine turned sanctuary
By Stephen Ssenkaaba
IT was a brutal place; an execution hub, where only the worst criminals got killed. So when they defied Kabaka (King) Mwanga’s orders to stop practicing the “white man’s religionâ€, he sent the Uganda Martyrs to be burned at Namugongo. By burning their bodies, the insecure monarch thought he had burned everything they stood for. One hundred and twenty five years on, Namugongo is raging with a different kind of fire; one of passion, desire and of reverence. The presence of pilgrims scouring its monumental shrine and memorial sites, others peacefully walking through its green compound in quiet reflection are testimony to this.
I found Jessica Amita chilling in the Namugongo afternoon sun. She had travelled all the way from Gulu in northern Uganda, “to spend some time with the martyrs.†Sickly, she had spent three days at the shrine sleeping in a makeshift tent. “Namugongo means everything to me,†she said. It inspires me in a special way.â€
Anna Otema, a middle-aged woman from Kenya had, along with 10 other Christians, walked over 250km to Namugogo. Weary and hungry, she seemed to care for little else than the fact that she had finally made it here. “Namugongo has a very special place in our hearts, it is the home of the martyrs, it is the place for our salvation,†she said.
And yet, this was not always the case.
Many years before the martyrdom, Namugongo was an execution ground. In his account of Faith in Uganda, Fr. Joseph Ddiba says the first major executions in Namugongo took place in 1877 when Mutesa I, Mwanga’s father ordered the execution of 70 disobedient men. By committing the Uganda Martyrs to die at Namugongo, Mwanga was only continuing a long held tradition.
A sprawling retreat
Namugongo rests on an extensive land covering over 80 acres. On this land stands two major martyrs’ monuments. The Uganda Martyrs Catholic shrine situated on a huge leafy stretch covering about 33 acres in a little village called Busaale and an Anglican centre, located a few kilometres farther in Nakiyanja. Today, The Catholic martyrs shrine is much more publicised and perhaps celebrated. But, as Fr. Joseph Mukasa Muwonge, promoter of the Uganda Martyrs devotion in Kampala Archdiocese observes, “Both shrines are of great significance.â€
Indeed, it was at the Anglican Nakiyanja centre that 12 of the 13 Catholic martyrs killed in Namugongo were burnt.
Only Charles Lwanga, the leader of the Catholic martyrs was martyred at the spot where the Catholic shrine stands today. Tradition, fate and design had a hand in this. J.F Faupel, author of The African Holocaust; the story of the Uganda Martyrs writes that Lwanga had been scheduled to die with the rest of the martyrs in Nakiyanja.
“However, because tradition barred the presence of the guardian of the sacred fuse (the instrument used to identify execution victims) at the scene of a large execution, Senkoole, the bearer of this office had to select one victim and have him burned separately from others.†Following a long held grudge against Lwanga, legend has it, Senkoole picked the young man to be killed in Busaale saying: “You, I am keeping for myself, to sacrifice to Kibuuka, Mukasa and Nenede, you will make a prime offering.†Several years later, Lwanga’s martyrdom site became the heart of the Catholic Martyrs shrine. “After the Anglican church’a acquisition of Nakiyanja, this spot was the available and most appropriate place for the Catholic Church to establish a memorial site for the Catholic martyrs,†says Fr. Muwonge.
The rise to prominence
After the Martyrdom, Namugongo lay in relative quiet. Except for a makeshift shelter constructed by local people at Kyaliwajjala (present day Vienna College) for informal prayer gatherings, not much happened there. In 1935, Mill Hill Catholic Missionaries established a Catholic parish at the site where Karoli Lwanga was martyred.
This stirred interest in Namugongo. “People gathered to pray and to learn more about these young men,†says Ben Tenywa, head of pilgrims’ office. In 1967, Emmanuel Nsubuga, then Archbishop of newly created Kampala archdiocese commissioned the construction of a more lasting martyrs’ monument. “The project was initially opposed by some sections of the church who considered it sabotage of Mill Hill missionaries’ initiative,†says one researcher. Sooner, however, Nsubuga’s will prevailed. The beauty that is the Martyrs shrine today was soon in place.
Interesting design
The current martyrs’ shrine is a brownish conical structure with a white cap and a cross at the top. According to Fr. Muwonge, the shrine which constitutes the main parish church was built in a shape of a traditional African hut “to represent the African traditional routes of the martyrs.†The largely metallic structure is surrounded by 22 copper pillars — representing the 22 Uganda Martyrs and a red brick finishing at the base with a foundation stone bearing the names of the martyrs. It was blessed by Pope Paul VI during his 1969 visit to Uganda.
The interior of the shrine is circular, culminating into a beautiful sanctuary adorned with images of the blessed Virgin Mary, Jesus and the Uganda Martyrs. At the very heart of the church is the mighty rectangular altar with the relic of Lwanga hanging from the middle. “Beneath this altar is the very spot where Karoli was martyred, says Tenywa.
With a sitting capacity of about 1000 people, the church is one of the largest in town, one of the first major project undertaken by Roko Construction Company in Uganda.
The shrine is surrounded by a healthy green compound with thriving trees and an alleyway that leads to a man-made pond that once, according to historical accounts, served as a cleansing ground for executioners. A round concrete plinth has been constructed at the mouth of this pond on which Pope John Paul II famously celebrated mass on Sunday, February 7, 1993.
Namugongo shines on
Over the years, Namugongo has grown in stature. During his visit to Uganda, Pope John Paul II declared Namugongo a minor basilica — a special honour, says Fr. Muwonge, which Rome bestows upon certain churches following a major spiritual event. It has gradually become a popular destination for people from all over the world. According to the Pilgrims office, over one million people come to Namugongo every June 3 to celebrate Martyrs day. Over 5000 visit the shrine on other days throughout the year.
The shrine is currently surrounded by various church founded institutions including two powerful schools, retreat houses and novitiates. Various spiritual meetings and fellowships are held here throughout the year. It is this semblance of beauty, spirituality and practical values that Namugongo has come to symbolise.
As the world descends on the holy grounds, everyone will be seeking to harness this immense power in the name of Karoli Lwanga and his 21 counterparts.
IT was a brutal place; an execution hub, where only the worst criminals got killed. So when they defied Kabaka (King) Mwanga’s orders to stop practicing the “white man’s religionâ€, he sent the Uganda Martyrs to be burned at Namugongo. By burning their bodies, the insecure monarch thought he had burned everything they stood for. One hundred and twenty five years on, Namugongo is raging with a different kind of fire; one of passion, desire and of reverence. The presence of pilgrims scouring its monumental shrine and memorial sites, others peacefully walking through its green compound in quiet reflection are testimony to this.
I found Jessica Amita chilling in the Namugongo afternoon sun. She had travelled all the way from Gulu in northern Uganda, “to spend some time with the martyrs.†Sickly, she had spent three days at the shrine sleeping in a makeshift tent. “Namugongo means everything to me,†she said. It inspires me in a special way.â€
Anna Otema, a middle-aged woman from Kenya had, along with 10 other Christians, walked over 250km to Namugogo. Weary and hungry, she seemed to care for little else than the fact that she had finally made it here. “Namugongo has a very special place in our hearts, it is the home of the martyrs, it is the place for our salvation,†she said.
And yet, this was not always the case.
Many years before the martyrdom, Namugongo was an execution ground. In his account of Faith in Uganda, Fr. Joseph Ddiba says the first major executions in Namugongo took place in 1877 when Mutesa I, Mwanga’s father ordered the execution of 70 disobedient men. By committing the Uganda Martyrs to die at Namugongo, Mwanga was only continuing a long held tradition.
A sprawling retreat
Namugongo rests on an extensive land covering over 80 acres. On this land stands two major martyrs’ monuments. The Uganda Martyrs Catholic shrine situated on a huge leafy stretch covering about 33 acres in a little village called Busaale and an Anglican centre, located a few kilometres farther in Nakiyanja. Today, The Catholic martyrs shrine is much more publicised and perhaps celebrated. But, as Fr. Joseph Mukasa Muwonge, promoter of the Uganda Martyrs devotion in Kampala Archdiocese observes, “Both shrines are of great significance.â€
Indeed, it was at the Anglican Nakiyanja centre that 12 of the 13 Catholic martyrs killed in Namugongo were burnt.
Only Charles Lwanga, the leader of the Catholic martyrs was martyred at the spot where the Catholic shrine stands today. Tradition, fate and design had a hand in this. J.F Faupel, author of The African Holocaust; the story of the Uganda Martyrs writes that Lwanga had been scheduled to die with the rest of the martyrs in Nakiyanja.
“However, because tradition barred the presence of the guardian of the sacred fuse (the instrument used to identify execution victims) at the scene of a large execution, Senkoole, the bearer of this office had to select one victim and have him burned separately from others.†Following a long held grudge against Lwanga, legend has it, Senkoole picked the young man to be killed in Busaale saying: “You, I am keeping for myself, to sacrifice to Kibuuka, Mukasa and Nenede, you will make a prime offering.†Several years later, Lwanga’s martyrdom site became the heart of the Catholic Martyrs shrine. “After the Anglican church’a acquisition of Nakiyanja, this spot was the available and most appropriate place for the Catholic Church to establish a memorial site for the Catholic martyrs,†says Fr. Muwonge.
The rise to prominence
After the Martyrdom, Namugongo lay in relative quiet. Except for a makeshift shelter constructed by local people at Kyaliwajjala (present day Vienna College) for informal prayer gatherings, not much happened there. In 1935, Mill Hill Catholic Missionaries established a Catholic parish at the site where Karoli Lwanga was martyred.
This stirred interest in Namugongo. “People gathered to pray and to learn more about these young men,†says Ben Tenywa, head of pilgrims’ office. In 1967, Emmanuel Nsubuga, then Archbishop of newly created Kampala archdiocese commissioned the construction of a more lasting martyrs’ monument. “The project was initially opposed by some sections of the church who considered it sabotage of Mill Hill missionaries’ initiative,†says one researcher. Sooner, however, Nsubuga’s will prevailed. The beauty that is the Martyrs shrine today was soon in place.
Interesting design
The current martyrs’ shrine is a brownish conical structure with a white cap and a cross at the top. According to Fr. Muwonge, the shrine which constitutes the main parish church was built in a shape of a traditional African hut “to represent the African traditional routes of the martyrs.†The largely metallic structure is surrounded by 22 copper pillars — representing the 22 Uganda Martyrs and a red brick finishing at the base with a foundation stone bearing the names of the martyrs. It was blessed by Pope Paul VI during his 1969 visit to Uganda.
The interior of the shrine is circular, culminating into a beautiful sanctuary adorned with images of the blessed Virgin Mary, Jesus and the Uganda Martyrs. At the very heart of the church is the mighty rectangular altar with the relic of Lwanga hanging from the middle. “Beneath this altar is the very spot where Karoli was martyred, says Tenywa.
With a sitting capacity of about 1000 people, the church is one of the largest in town, one of the first major project undertaken by Roko Construction Company in Uganda.
The shrine is surrounded by a healthy green compound with thriving trees and an alleyway that leads to a man-made pond that once, according to historical accounts, served as a cleansing ground for executioners. A round concrete plinth has been constructed at the mouth of this pond on which Pope John Paul II famously celebrated mass on Sunday, February 7, 1993.
Namugongo shines on
Over the years, Namugongo has grown in stature. During his visit to Uganda, Pope John Paul II declared Namugongo a minor basilica — a special honour, says Fr. Muwonge, which Rome bestows upon certain churches following a major spiritual event. It has gradually become a popular destination for people from all over the world. According to the Pilgrims office, over one million people come to Namugongo every June 3 to celebrate Martyrs day. Over 5000 visit the shrine on other days throughout the year.
The shrine is currently surrounded by various church founded institutions including two powerful schools, retreat houses and novitiates. Various spiritual meetings and fellowships are held here throughout the year. It is this semblance of beauty, spirituality and practical values that Namugongo has come to symbolise.
As the world descends on the holy grounds, everyone will be seeking to harness this immense power in the name of Karoli Lwanga and his 21 counterparts.