Kabgayi | |
|---|---|
 Suburban View with Kabgayi Cathedral in Distance | |
  Kabgayi Location in Rwanda | |
| Coordinates: 2°06′03″S 29°45′08″E / 2.100718°S 29.752243°E | |
| Country |  Rwanda |
| Province | Southern Province |
| District | Muhanga District |
| City | Gitarama |
| Elevation | 5,945 ft (1,812 m) |
Kabgayi is located just south of Gitarama in Muhanga District, Southern Province, Rwanda, 25 miles (40 km) southwest of Kigali. It was established as a Catholic Church mission in 1905. It became the center for the Roman Catholic Church in Rwanda and is the site of the oldest cathedral in the country and of Catholic seminaries, schools and a hospital. The church at first supported the Tutsi ruling elite, but later backed the Hutu majority. During the 1994 Rwandan genocide thousands of Tutsis who had taken refuge here were killed. Some survivors admire the courage of many priests who helped them during those difficult days, like Father Evergiste RUKEBESHA and many others.[citation needed] Later, some Hutus including three bishops and many priests were killed by the rebels RPF soldiers. A mass grave beside the hospital is marked by a memorial. Inside the Basilica are kept the bodies of the three bishops killed by FPR rebels. Two of them (Vincent Nsengiyumva, the Archbishop of Kigali and Joseph Ruzindana, Bishop of Byumba) were refused by the Rwandan government to be transferred in their own cathedrals.[citation needed]