ArchitectureAbidjan

St Paul's Cathedral, Abidjan

Cathédrale Saint-Paul

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A modernist cathedral designed by the Italian architect Aldo Spirito, begun in 1980 and consecrated by Pope John Paul II in August 1985. Its stained glass places African people, plants and animals alongside Bible stories.

Like La Pyramide, it is an attempt to 'speak Africa in modern architecture', and it is a spiritual landmark for the Catholic community of the south.

CE QUE VOUS VERREZ · What you will see

A strikingly shaped church on the Plateau lagoon front: a huge tilted cross held by rows of cables, like a figure with arms outstretched.

POURQUOI · So what

It is one of the most recognisable buildings on Abidjan's skyline, visible from across the lagoon. During the 2011 crisis about 1,800 people sheltered here.

SAVOIR-FAIRE · How to use it

Talk about architecture rather than faith: the symbolism of the form and the African imagery in the stained glass.

Asian and European parallelsCompare Luce Memorial Chapel at Tunghai University in Taiwan: both reinterpret religious space with modern structure.

Where to experience itPlateau.