ST. PAUL'S CATHEDRAL

Overlooking the lagoon from its 70-metre height, Saint Paul's Cathedral looks like a modernist, retro-futurist architectural UFO amidst the Plateau's towers. Built between 1983 and 1985 at the instigation of President Félix Houphouët-Boigny, at a cost of 6 billion FCFA, by the aptly-named Italian architect Aldo Spirito, it stands out on the edge of the lagoon, spectacular, audacious, aggressive and sometimes even disparaged ("The cathedral? Concrete Ubu, Goldorak prowling over the city").

Just imagine: this 4,200 m² triangular concrete edifice, with its curved, canopy-like roof, seems to be holding back the immense cross erected above it. Its shape refers to the Holy Trinity (Father, Son and Holy Spirit), the 3 points being joined by the canopy, a parable from Earth to Heaven, symbolizing St. Paul's exhortation, elevation and truth. The north-facing cross plunges forward, as if held to the building by seven sail ropes (representing the seven sacraments and the seven virtues), facing Abidjan and the lagoon.
It symbolizes the open arms of Christ disembarking from the sea and turning inland to embrace God's people. Inside, the church impresses with its grandeur (4,500 seated and 1,500 standing). Sumptuous stained-glass windows in a naive style (370 m² on four panels) illuminate the whole. They depict the life of Christ, the apostle Paul, the sacraments and the cathedral's own history. Incredibly bold and technically advanced - barely twenty years after Independence - this surprising building may please or shock, but it will certainly not leave anyone indifferent.

The "Abidjan Cathedral" operation was launched in 1980 to coincide with Pope John Paul II's first pastoral visit to Côte d'Ivoire, but relied on funds collected entirely from the population between 1963 and 1964 (each Ivorian contributed to the construction of religious buildings according to his or her obedience). On May 11, the Pope blessed the foundation stone of Abidjan Cathedral, while at the same time Italian architect Aldo Spirito completed his project with the approval of the Head of State and the religious authorities. Work began on February 15, 1983, and was completed just 30 months later. The Pope returned to consecrate the building in 1985.
For a long time, the cathedral suffered from serious deterioration and a lack of maintenance and resources. This situation was exacerbated by the post-election crisis of 2010-2011 and the heavy rainfall of recent years. During the Battle of Abidjan, the Cathedral hosted some 2,000 refugees, and shellfire severely damaged its roof, while bullet holes shattered its stained glass windows. The result: leaks, run-off and occasional flooding inside the sanctuary, eaten away by damp and threatening to collapse at any moment. In 2008, the total cost of refurbishing the building was already around 750 million FCFA. But by 2014, the damage had risen to 3 billion FCFA. By the end of March, the Ivorian state had disbursed 2.1 billion FCFA, while the sum collected from the faithful amounted to 200 million FCFA. Rehabilitation work then began, restoring this emblematic building to its former glory.