The most beautiful religious buildings Senegal

Dedicated to the Italian Cardinal Charles Borromeo, this church was erected in 1830 on the ashes of the previous one, burnt by the English, during Christmas Eve 1799, when the island was recaptured. The building was financed by the Signares of Gorée. One appreciates its simple architecture, its square with columns overlooking a quiet square. Every year, the church hosts the island's patron saint's day, the 4th of November or the following Sunday, if this date does not fall on a Sunday.

The Great Mosque is undoubtedly one of the most impressive buildings in Dakar, overhung by a 67-metre high minaret that you can ask to visit to embrace the city at a glance. Inaugurated in 1964, in the wake of Senegal's independence, it is beautifully decorated both inside and out. In addition to being a place of worship, it is home to the Islamic Institute, a research centre on Islam, and a large library containing, among other things, documents written by Senegalese Muslim scholars.

Built in 1887, the Basilica of Our Lady of Deliverance is one of the oldest in the country. It is an important place of Catholic pilgrimage (on the weekend of Pentecost) and testifies to the important presence of Catholicism on the Petite Côte. It houses a black Virgin who was blessed by Pope John Paul II in 1992. To accommodate the millions of pilgrims who celebrate Mary each year, a new shrine, of colossal size, should soon open its doors.

Built in the 1930s and consecrated in 1936, the Cathedral of African Remembrance stands out in the Dakar landscape with its immaculate white colour. The materials chosen were imported from different countries (Sudan, Gabon, Tunisia, Benin, France) for a rather surprising result with diverse influences. Erected on a former Lebou cemetery, it was originally a tribute to African soldiers, it was nicknamed for a time the Pantheon of Africa.

Gorée Island has one of the oldest mosques in Senegal, built in 1890 with basalt stones from the country, at the foot of the western slope of the Castel. A project for the development of the esplanade has been under discussion for a long time and has still not started. It includes areas for relaxation and the integration of the craft trade site located for the moment at the bottom of the Castel. Only Muslims will be able to visit the mosque. One notices a slightly more modern element: a false palm tree that hides the building's speakers!

Second largest mosque in Senegal, the Massalikoul Djinane mosque, which means "the paths to paradise" in Arabic, rises majestically since 2019 in the popular district of Colobane. Symbol of the power of the Mouride, it culminates at nearly 80 meters high, and pays tribute to Sheikh Ahmadou Bamba, founder of this brotherhood. The interior is grandiose, with its Carrara marble walls, its string of columns and its Baccarat crystal chandeliers!

The Breton church, the third oldest in the country (19th century), is not to be outdone in terms of history. It seems that one enters through the gates of the past, near and far at the same time. Its bell tower is said to have been financed by a countess of the French aristocracy. On one of the bells, fallen and largely chipped, one can read its origin (Villedieu France) and its quality: a gift from a certain Mrs Wintz de Hocfelden, an Alsatian, to her son in 1897. Long abandoned and renovated in 2017, the church has now regained its former splendour.

Founded in 1961 by a dozen monks of the Order of Saint Benedict from a Benedictine abbey in Sarthe, the abbey now has about forty members from different countries. In addition to being a "house of God" where the religious's quest for contemplation and the spirituality of the lay faithful rubs shoulders with the search for serenity or the thirst for curiosity of other visitors, it is also renowned for its broiler chickens, its cheese factory and the various products from its farm. But its international reputation is mainly due to its locally made koras and its magnificent Gregorian chants. The story goes back to 1964, when a Senegalese priest gave a kora to the community, which then began to make this traditional instrument in wooden keys, and to compose liturgical songs inspired by African music, under the guidance of one of the founding monks, Father Catta, who received the Albert Schweitzer Prize in 2003. The latter, who died in 2018, was even elevated two years before his death to the rank of Living Human Treasure, recognised by UNESCO. Today the monastery is renowned throughout the world and has almost twenty CDs in its discography, in addition to several international awards. Even if you are not a practising Catholic, try to attend a Keur Moussa mass where kora and balafon accompany the liturgical chants. This musical harmony, so singular, can touch everyone.

You enter through the library door on the east side and exit on the opposite side through the west door. Licensed guides (ask them for their maps) give interesting information about the mosque and the Mouride brotherhood. Entrance is free, but you have to think about the guide at the exit... Be careful! Pants for men, headscarf and long skirt for women. We can also provide what you need on the spot. Facing the mosque, all in white and pink marble, stucco and teak, gives an idea of the size of the brotherhood and the influence it can have on its followers. The building was built between 1927 and 1963, before being enlarged in 1987. It has a central minaret 87 m high, four corner minarets and a total of fourteen purple domes. The minarets each represent the five pillars of Islam. In the main dome is the tomb of Sheikh Ahmadou Bamba, the founder of the Mouride brotherhood. Five other mausoleums house other important khalifes. Every Friday, 800 carpets are installed for the great prayer. About 10,000 Muslims gather there, and men and women are of course separated. But the devotion of the faithful is most noticeable during the annual pilgrimage to Touba, due to any good mouride: the Grand Magal. Established in July 1928 by the sheikh's first khalif, the Magal glorifies the triumphant return of Sheikh Ahmadou Bamba from his exile in Gabon. It seems then that a part of Senegal is emptying to come and populate the city.

The island of Fadiouth is home to a predominantly Christian church, Saint-François-Xavier, built in 1981. Its roof, now made of sheet metal, had to be rebuilt after the great storm of 1999. Christians and Muslims got together to rebuild the building. There is nothing exceptional about the building itself, but people come here especially to attend masses in Gregorian, French, Serer and Wolof, accompanied by percussion and religious songs.

That of Podor is Remarkable, Sudanese style. Another kilometres is another mosque, that of Guédé, built in a row. The kingdom of Tékrour in the th century was the cradle of black African Islam. A result of important trade with the Saharan countries, she would have inherited the Islam of Mecca. Along the island in Morfil, until Saldé, there are several small mosques in a row, as to confirm that the region is of the utmost importance in the history of the religion of Mohammed. Alwar is particularly important, since El-Hadj Oumar Tall, a native of the village, made his prayers.

Long damaged by time and erosion, the oldest church in West Africa has been restored to its former glory after more than a year of renovation. For a long time without a place of worship, the Christians of Saint-Louis gathered in the 18th century in various places in the city to pray to God. After the departure of the English in 1817, who had forbidden all religious ceremonies, the arrival of Anne-Marie Javouhey, founder of the order of the Sisters of St. Joseph of Cluny in 1822, changed the situation. Indeed, the nun demanded the construction of a real church for the faithful and was supported by the colonial authorities. Thus, the foundation stone was laid on February 11, 1827 by Baron Roger and the church was consecrated on November 4, 1828. At the beginning, the church was built in the classical style, but over time it underwent important architectural transformations, such as the addition of a neoclassical door on the outside. The church did not become a cathedral until 1966 with the arrival of the first bishop on the island, Prosper Dobbs, who now rests in the building. Financed by the French Development Agency, the work was carried out by the company Eiffage, which had to follow very precise specifications in order to take into account all the specificities related to the renovation of the cathedral. The stained glass windows have been restored to their former colors and illustrate the theological virtues through scenes of life. As for the organ, which arrived from France in 1890, it is the only one that can be repaired in Senegal.