SACRED HEART CATHEDRAL

The Sacred Heart Cathedral is distinguished by its modernist architecture. Its construction in 1962 is the consecration of a vow made by Mgr Leynaud in 1944 and Mgr Duval in 1958.
Built according to the plans of Paul Herbé and Jean Le Couteur, it replaces the Saint-Philippe cathedral, which was returned to Muslim worship after Independence.
The hyperboloid "tower" rises to 35 meters. The interior is striking. The "dome", topped by a rose window, rests on four concrete arches supported by eight pillars. The play of lines and the use of concrete perfectly reproduce the idea of the tent of God according to the Gospel of St. John thought by the architects Paul Herbé and Jean Lecouteur.
The carpets were donated by Louis Philippe to the Cathedral of Saint Philip. The Berber chest was given to the cathedral by the monks of Tibhirine eleven days before their abduction and murder. The Carrara marble altar weighing 6 tons holds the relics of the African saints Victor and Fulgence.
The lectern is a gift from Napoleon III and the antiphonary belonged to the Trappists of Staouéli. The authentic marble columns come from the church of Tamentfoust. At the back of the nave, the mosaic, dating from 324, comes from the first basilica of Castrum Tingitanum (Chlef, ex-Orléansville). It is a unique piece of ancient Christian art since it would be the oldest representation of the Church in the form of a labyrinth. The organ is a gift from the parish of Boufarik. The stained glass windows are the work of the master glass artist Henri Martin Granel.