The Basilica of Our Lady of Peace in Yamoussoukro

We took a 3-hour road trip today with Pres & Sis Bendixsen and our dear friend, Mel.  We drove to Yamoussoukro, in our neighboring mission to visit this famous basilica there.  Here’s a brief overview about it:

WIKIPEDIA:
The Basilica of Our Lady of Peace (French: Basilique Notre-Dame de la Paix) is a Catholic minor basilica dedicated to Our Lady of Peace in Yamoussoukro, the administrative capital of Côte d’Ivoire (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.

The basilica was constructed between 1985 and 1989 with different cost estimates given by various groups. Some stated that it cost US$175 million US$300 million, ranging as high as US$600 million. The designs of the dome and encircled plaza are clearly inspired by the Basilica of Saint Peter in Vatican City, although it is not an outright replica. The cornerstone was laid on 10 August 1985, 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.

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 — is smaller in size than the basilica but the principal place of worship and seat of the bishop of the diocese.

It has an area of 30,000 square metres (320,000 sq ft) and is 158 metres (518 ft) high. 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. Ordinary liturgies conducted at the basilica are usually attended by only a few hundred people.

The basilica is administered by Polish Pallottines at a cost of US$1.5 million annually.

Architecture
While designing it after the Vatican Basilica, Lebanese architect Pierre Fakhoury constructed the dome to be slightly lower than the Basilica of Saint Peter, but ornamented with a larger cross on top. The finished height is 158 metres (518 ft). The dome is more than twice the diameter of St. Peter’s in Rome, 90 metres versus 41 metres (300 ft versus 136 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.

The choir
Columns are plentiful throughout the basilica but are not uniform in style; the smaller columns are there for structural reasons, while the bigger ones are decorative and contain elevators, rainwater evacuation from the roof and other building mechanical devices. There is enough space to seat 7,000 people in the nave, with standing room for an additional 11,000 people. Apart from the basilica are two identical villas. One of the villas accommodates the clergymen 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.

The wood chosen for the 7,000 pews in the Our Lady of Peace Basilica is Iroko wood.

It was interesting to visit this beautiful basilica, which gets little use these days.  Every year, there are a few events held here, and Catholic church services are held every Sunday for a small group of locals.  Other than that, it stands empty with a few visitors like us trickling in.

Most of the building is constructed of cement made to look like marble.

There are more stained glass windows (square meters) in this church than in any other in the world.  The windows were all created in France.

The floors are made of Italian marble.

An elevator took us to the middle level, about 34 stories up.  The top of the dome is more than 70 stories high.

President Boigny built his Presidential Palace nearby and members of his family still live there.  There are several man-made lakes filled with huge flowering lily pads surrounding the area.

It was a fascinating day with our good friends.  Being here made me appreciate even more the temple being built right now in Abidjan.  That temple will be busy and filled with people receiving the ordinances of salvation.  Oh, what a difference!