Suriname Religions

Some of the Religions you will find in Suriname

There is no predominant religion in the country. Christianity, both in the form of Roman Catholicism and variations of Protestantism, is dominant among Creoles and Maroons. Most of the Hindustani are Hindu, but some practice Islam or Christianity instead. Also the Javanese practice either Islam or Christianity. With 20% of the population, Suriname has the largest Muslim community by percentage in the New World.

Roman Catholic The Roman Catholic Petrus en Paulus Kathedraal (Saint Peter and Paul Cathedral) located in Paramaribo, Suriname claims to be the largest wooden building in the Americas. It was built from 1883–1885. The architect was Frans Harmes. There are 110,664 Catholics in Suriname, around 23% of the population. The Church in Suriname consists of only one diocese, the Diocese of Paramaribo, which is headed by His Excellency The Most Reverend Bishop Wilhelmus Adrianus Josephus Maria de Bekker, who is a native of The Netherlands. There are 22 priests in the Diocese which translates to about 5,030 Catholics per priest. There are 31 Catholic parishes in the diocese. The seat of the Diocese of Paramaribo is The Cathedral of Sts. Peter and Paul in Paramaribo. The Cathedral of St. Peter and Paul is 114 years old. Before it became a cathedral it was a theatre and was owned by La Parra. The theatre was built in 1809 and burned down in 1820. The construction of the Sts. Peter and Paul Cathedral started on 13 January 1883. The cathedral is located: Gravenstraat 22 Paramaribo Suriname Suriname is one of the few countries in the world where you can find a Synagogue next to a Mosque (another place is Sofia, Bulgaria). The two buildings are located next to each other in the centre of Paramaribo and have been known to share a parking facility during their respective religious rites, should they happen to coincide with one another.

Other churches are:
 * De Gemeente van Christus - country
 * Engles Church Of Christ - country
 * Paramaribo Church of Christ - country
 * The Reformed Church of Surinam - country

Church:       Hervormde Kerk van Suriname url:          http://www.shkerk.org/index.php email:        info@shkerk.org Street:       Kerkplein City:         Paramaribo Province:     Paramaribo Country:      Suriname Denomination: Protestant

Church:       Bribi Ministries url:          http://www.kerkipasi.net/pages.asp?pageid=42939 email:        irmagimith@sr.net Street:       BVD hal Hoogestraat City:         Paramaribo Province:     Paramaribo Country:      Suriname

Jehovah's witnesses

Shalom Synagogue Suriname has the oldest Jewish community in the Americas. During the Inquisition in Portugal and Spain around 1500, many Jews fled to Holland and the Dutch colonies to escape torture and condemnation to the stake. Those who were converted to the Catholic fate were called "Marranos". The stadtholder of the King of Portugal gave those who wanted to depart some time to let them settle, and supplied them with 16 ships and safe conduct to leave for Holland. The Dutch government gave an opportunity to settle in Brazil. But most found their home in Recife, and merchants became cocoa growers. But the Portuguese in Brazil forced many Jews to move into the northern Dutch colonies in the Americas, The Guyanas. Jews settled in Suriname in 1639. A few years, when World War II arrived, many Jewish refugees from Holland and other parts of Europe fled to Suriname. Today, 200 Jews live in Suriname.

Neveh Shalom Synagogue Keizerstraat 82 Paramaribo Suriname