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Basilica of Our Lady of Peace

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Basilica of Our Lady of Peace (EFO)
Yamoussoukro Basilica
French: Basilique Notre-Dame de la Paix
6°48′40″N 5°17′49″W / 6.81111°N 5.29694°W
Location Rue de St. France, Yamoussoukro
Country Ivory Coast
Denomination Catholic Church
Sui iuris church Latin Church
History
Status Minor basilica
Dedication Our Lady of Peace
Consecrated September 10, 1990
Architecture
Architect Pierre Fakhoury
Architectural type Basilica
Style Renaissance Revival and Baroque Revival
Groundbreaking August 10, 1985
Completed 1990
Construction cost US$175–600 million
Specifications
Capacity 18,000
Length 195 metres (640 ft)
Width 150 metres (490 ft)
Height 158 metres (518 ft)
Materials marble
Administration
Province Bouaké
Diocese Yamoussoukro

The Basilica of Our Lady of Peace (French: Basilique Notre-Dame de la Paix, pronounced [bazilik nɔtʁə dam də la pɛ]) is a Catholic minor basilica dedicated to Our Lady of Peace in Yamoussoukro, the administrative capital of Ivory Coast. Guinness World Records lists it as the largest church in the world, having surpassed the previous record holder, Saint Peter's Basilica, upon completion. It has an area of 30,000 square metres (320,000 sq ft)[1] and is 158 metres (518 ft) tall.[2] However, it also includes a rectory and a villa (counted in the overall area), which are not strictly part of the church. It can accommodate 18,000 worshippers, compared to 60,000 for St. Peter's.[3]

The basilica was constructed between 1985 and 1989 with different cost estimates given by various groups. Some stated that it cost US$175 million,[4] US$300 million,[5] or as high as US$600 million.[6] The designs of the dome and encircled plaza were inspired by the Basilica of Saint Peter in Vatican City,[7] although it is not an outright replica.[8] The cornerstone was laid on 10 August 1985,[9] and it was consecrated on 10 September 1990 by Pope John Paul II, who had just formally accepted the basilica as a gift from Félix Houphouët-Boigny on behalf of the Catholic Church.[10][8] The basilica is administered by Polish Pallottines at a cost of US$1.5 million annually.[1]

The basilica is not to be confused with a cathedral. Our Lady of Peace is located in the Diocese of Yamoussoukro; the Cathedral of Saint Augustine—less than 3 km (2 mi) away[11]—is smaller in size than the basilica but the principal place of worship and seat of the bishop of the diocese.[12]

Architecture

While designing it after the Vatican basilica, the Lebanese architect Pierre Fakhoury constructed the dome to be slightly lower than the Basilica of Saint Peter, but topped with a larger cross.[13] The finished height is 158 metres (518 ft).[14] The dome is more than twice the diameter of St. Peter's in Rome, 90 metres (300 ft) versus 41 metres (135 ft). The base of the dome is much lower than Saint Peter's, so the overall height is slightly less. The basilica is constructed with marble imported from Italy and is furnished with 8,400 square metres (90,000 sq ft) of contemporary stained glass from France.[15] France Vitrail International near Paris handmade the stained glass for the Basilica which was the largest such order ever placed and comprised 8,400 square metres (90,000 sq ft) of material assembled in 18,500 panels.[16]

Columns are plentiful throughout the basilica but are not uniform in style; the smaller columns are structural, while the larger ones are decorative and contain elevators, rainwater conduits from the roof and other building mechanical devices. The nave contains enough space to seat 7,000 people, with standing room for an additional 11,000 people.[17] Apart from the basilica are two identical villas. One of the villas accommodates the clergy who operate the basilica. A room in the other villa is reserved for papal visits, of which only one has occurred, when the basilica was consecrated.[18]

The wood chosen for the pews in the Basilica was iroko wood.[19]

Construction

The basilica was built by the French company Dumez.[20]

The cost of the basilica was met with some controversy globally when construction began, especially as Ivory Coast was going through an economic and fiscal crisis at the time.[21] Pope John Paul II agreed to consecrate the basilica on the condition that a hospital also be built nearby. This hospital, whose construction was frozen during the First Ivorian Civil War, was finally completed in 2014 and opened in January 2015, at a cost of €21.3 million.[22]

Memorial

Ivory Coast President Félix Houphouët-Boigny chose his birthplace of Yamoussoukro to be the site of the new capital city of his country in 1983. As part of the plan of the city, the president wanted to memorialize himself with the construction of the basilica.[23] Houphouët-Boigny is even pictured kneeling beside Jesus at his triumphal entry into Jerusalem in one stained glass panel.[24] Due to the location of the Basilica, it was dubbed by the media as "basilica in the bush".[25] Houphouët-Boigny believed it would become a pilgrimage site for African Catholics.[26]

See also

References

  1. Back to citation occurrence 1.0 Back to citation occurrence 1.1 Strochlic, Nina (30 January 2014). "The Largest Church in the World Has The Fewest Worshippers". The Daily Beast. Retrieved 10 February 2016.
  2. Back to citation "The biggest, longest, tallest..." The Guardian. London. 17 July 2004. Retrieved 22 July 2008.
  3. Back to citation "Our Lady of Peace Basilica, Yamoussoukro". Churches Guide. Archived from the original on 12 January 2011. Retrieved 10 September 2010.
  4. Back to citation Morrow, Lance (7 September 1992). "Africa: the Scramble for Survival". Time.
  5. Back to citation Macdonald, Jessica. "Basilica of Our Lady of Peace, Ivory Coast". Tripsavvy. Retrieved 24 September 2019.
  6. Back to citation Stewart, Frances (22 January 2016). Horizontal Inequalities and Conflict: Understanding Group Violence in Multiethnic Societies. Springer. p. 47. ISBN 978-0-230-58272-9.
  7. Back to citation Ostling, Richard N; James Wilde (3 July 1989). "The Basilica in the Bush". Time. Archived from the original on 11 December 2008. Retrieved 17 November 2008.
  8. Back to citation occurrence 8.0 Back to citation occurrence 8.1 Massaquoi, Hans J. (December 1990). "An African's gift to the Vatican: the world's largest church – Felix Houphouet-Boigny, Basilica of Our Lady of Peace". Ebony. pp. 118–122. Retrieved 24 March 2024.
  9. Back to citation Melton, J. Gordon; Martin Baumann (2010). Religions of the World: A Comprehensive Encyclopedia of Beliefs and Practices, 2nd Edition [6 volumes]. ABC-CLIO. p. 307. ISBN 978-1-5988-4204-3.
  10. Back to citation "Dédicace de La Basilique de "Notre-Dame de La Paix"" [Dedication of the Basilica of Our Lady of Peace] (Press release) (in French). Holy See. 10 September 1990. Archived from the original on 14 January 2009. Retrieved 2 January 2009.
  11. Back to citation "distance between Basilique Notre-Dame de la Paix and Cathédrale Saint-Augustin in Yamoussoukro". Google. Retrieved 15 April 2018.
  12. Back to citation "Diocese of Odienné, Cote d'Ivoire". GCatholic. Retrieved 10 September 2010.
  13. Back to citation Elleh, Nnamdi (2002). Architecture and Power in Africa. Greenwood Publishing Group. p. 121. ISBN 978-0-2759-7679-8; Lang, Jon T; Walter Moleski (2010). Functionalism Revisited: Architectural Theory and Practice and the Behavioral Sciences. Ashgate Publishing, Ltd. p. 224. ISBN 978-1-4094-0701-0; Parkinson, Joe (27 April 2017). "A Miracle at the World's Largest Church: People Are Showing Up". The Wall Street Journal.
  14. Back to citation Parkinson, Joe (27 April 2017). "A Miracle at the World's Largest Church: People Are Showing Up". The Wall Street Journal.
  15. Back to citation Jie, Wang (4 May 2019). "French glass master shines a light on his soul". Shanghai Daily.
  16. Back to citation "Religious Stained Glass". France Vitrail (in French). Retrieved 23 March 2024.
  17. Back to citation Foley, Michael (1 November 2013). Political Leadership: Themes, Contexts, and Critiques. Oxford: Oxford University Press. p. 191. ISBN 978-0-19-968593-6.
  18. Back to citation Rice, Xan (23 October 2008). "The president, his church and the crocodiles". The New Statesman. Retrieved 16 May 2015.
  19. Back to citation Elleh, Nnamdi (1 January 2002). Architecture and Power in Africa. Greenwood Publishing Group. p. 121. ISBN 978-0-275-97679-8.
  20. Back to citation "Basilique Notre Dame de la Paix à Yamoussoukro". History of the VINCI Group. Archived from the original on 1 October 2011. Retrieved 10 September 2010.
  21. Back to citation Brooke, James (19 December 1988). "Ivory Coast Church to Tower Over St. Peter's". The New York Times. Retrieved 16 May 2015.
  22. Back to citation "Yamoussoukro, la capitale ivoirienne, veut sortir de l'ombre" [Yamoussoukro, the Ivorian capital, wants to emerge from the shadows]. Le Monde (in French). Paris. Retrieved 14 October 2017.
  23. Back to citation Shillington, Kevin (4 July 2013). Encyclopedia of African History 3-Volume Set. Routledge. p. 653. ISBN 978-1-135-45670-2.
  24. Back to citation "Better late than never: Africa's largest and most grandiose church gets a new neighbour". The Economist. 16 June 2012; "Ivorian Christians celebrate Christmas in giant basilica". Yahoo! News. 25 December 2020. Retrieved 20 February 2024; McDonnell, Tim. "Photos: The world's largest church is in the middle of an African coconut plantation". Mother Jones. Retrieved 20 February 2024.
  25. Back to citation Djité, Paulin G. (1 January 2008). The Sociolinguistics of Development in Africa. Multilingual Matters. p. 210. ISBN 978-1-84769-045-6.
  26. Back to citation Henry, Neil (5 August 1990). "Basilica Rises in Ivory Coast – Cathedral Awaits Pope's Blessing". Seattle Times. Retrieved 24 March 2024.

Further reading

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