Visit To The Basilica That Houphouët Boigny Built!

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Video Transcript

In 1986, President Fèlix Houphouët Boigny of Côte d’Ivoire began to build the Notre Dame de la Paix, a Basilica that he envisioned would be bigger than St. Peter’s Basilica in Rome. He was widely criticised for planning to expend and eventually spending so much money on a religious building when there was so much poverty in his country.

He built the magnificent Notre Dame de la Paix, translated as Our Lady of Peace. It is taller than St. Peter’s by 22 metres, although St. Peter’s is wider. It is extravagantly conceived and built, covering 7 acres of marble. The entrance is one kilometre of marble! There are 368 pillars in the building, each pillar weighing 1,000 tons. The dome is 158 metres high and weighs 98,000 tons.

The building has 2,456 lights, each 1,000 kilowatts. The weight of the bronze cross at the altar is 50kg. 1,500 workers worked on the building day and night for three years, and the building was completed in September 1989. Pope John Paul II dedicated it on September 10, 1990. I cannot now remember who said that, if there is any redeeming feature about the megalomania of rulers, it is that they leave behind great tourist attractions!

I went to Yamoussoukro, Côte d’Ivoire, joining many tourists to see this incredible piece of architecture!