Since ancient times, the mountain on which the cathedral stands today has been an observation point, since from a height of more than one and a half hundred meters it was easy to spot enemies. Initially, there was a small church on the site of the basilica. Namely, in 1214, a priest from Marseille founded a small chapel on the hill. Soon the church became a real place of worship. Namely, all sailors who returned from voyages were sure to bring gifts to this church. Church parishioners also donated money to her and even made wills in her favor. But only by the beginning of the 16th century did the opportunity finally arise to expand the church.
After King Francis I visited the city in 1516, it was decided to build fortifications on the hill and the island of If. Thus the church became part of a large defensive stone fort. In the 18th century, the church again underwent a large-scale reconstruction. Unfortunately, at this time, its religious purpose was simply forgotten, wanting to strengthen the fort as much as possible. Therefore, it is not surprising that many religious buildings were destroyed at that time, and the treasuries were empty. Moreover, for some time the church was even used as a prison.
It was only at the beginning of the 19th century that all religious buildings were returned to the city’s clergy and a large-scale reconstruction of the basilica began. The basilica construction project was led by the architect Henri-Jacques Esperandier. Work on the construction of the basilica continued until the end of the 19th century. However, the temple was consecrated in the middle of the century - in 1864.
The architecture of the basilica is striking in its uniqueness. The fact is that the architectural complex combines two churches of different styles. The lower Romanesque church serves as a storage area for the crypt with tombs. It is rather dimly lit and cannot boast of rich decor. Behind its main altar you can see a statue of Our Lady, which was donated by the initiator of the construction of the basilica, Joseph Escaraman.
In turn, the upper church differs significantly from the lower one. All its walls are covered with plaques with gratitude from sailors and their loved ones. In general, the marine theme is very noticeable here - it is present in the painting of the vaults and chapels. Moreover, under the arches you can even see many copies of real sea ships, which sailors leave here year after year.
The Roman Catholic Church is the largest church in Catholicism, with the largest number of adherents. As everyone knows, the center of Catholicism is the Vatican, and in all likelihood the largest cathedral should have been located here. But as it turned out, this is not so. The Basilica of Notre-Dame de la Paix has surpassed the largest cathedral in the world in size, and, paradoxically, it is not located in a Christian country.
Basilica of the Blessed Virgin Mary of Peace, which is the second name of Notre-Dame de la Paix. This building is listed in the Guinness Book of Records as the largest church in the world. It surpassed in height and size even the largest and most central building of the Vatican - St. Peter's Basilica.
And now about the most interesting thing - the location of the church. The name immediately brings up an association with France, and this is a mistaken opinion. The basilica is located in the capital of the West African state of Cote d'Ivoire, Yamoussoukro. It is surprising that only a third of the country's population professes Christianity, of which the majority are Catholics.
An equally interesting fact is that the population of the city where Notre-Dame de la Paix is located is small, as for the capital - 242 thousand people. Another side of this whole story is financial. Considering that most of the population lives below the poverty line, the government spent 300 million US dollars on construction, thereby increasing the country's external debt. But now there is something to be proud of for the townspeople, who have become poorer and at the same time most of them are Muslims.
The basilica is lined with marble from Italy, and 7 thousand square meters of stained glass from France are installed here. Nearby there are two identical buildings, one of which serves as a house for a priest, and the second as a private papal villa. It was preserved for papal visits, but he visited the cathedral only once.
Construction lasted for 4 years, from 1985 to 1989. The image of the basilica was inspired by the image of St. Peter's Basilica in the Vatican. A year later, on September 10, 1990, the basilica was illuminated by Pontiff John Paul II. The reason for the construction was the desire of the President of Ivory Coast Felix Boigny to perpetuate his name by building the largest church in the world.
The area of Notre-Dame de la Paix is 30 thousand square meters. The height of the basilica reaches 158 meters, which makes it the second tallest church building, after Ulm Cathedral. Although the church is the largest in the world, in terms of capacity it is significantly inferior to the Vatican Cathedral. Its capacity is 18 thousand people, while St. Peter's Cathedral can accommodate 60 thousand people.
Cathedral of Notre-Dame de la Garde (France) - description, history, location. Exact address and website. Tourist reviews, photos and videos.
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Without exaggeration, the Notre-Dame de la Garde Cathedral is the most visited attraction in French Marseille. The Catholic church stands on a high hill, so it can be seen from almost everywhere. The monastery was built in the mid-18th century on the site of a former chapel and has since remained one of the main pilgrimage sites in Marseille. There are especially many believers here on the day of the Dormition of the Blessed Virgin Mary, held every year on August 15. The top of the bell tower of the already majestic cathedral is decorated with an 11-meter gilded statue of the Virgin Mary and Child.
Notre-Dame de la Garde Cathedral is open to visitors all year round. However, in the summer (from April to September), due to the influx of tourists, it works longer hours - from 7:00 to 19:15. In winter (October to March), access to the temple is from 7:00 to 18:15.
You can get to the Notre-Dame de la Garde Cathedral by public transport (bus number 60 goes to the temple) or by car if, for example, you rented a car. There is a parking lot next to the cathedral, but please note that you will need to leave the parking lot at exactly 19:00 in winter and at 20:00 in summer. Bus travel costs 2 EUR per person.
Cathedral of Notre-Dame de la Garde
After your tour of Notre-Dame de la Garde Cathedral, you can grab a bite to eat at the on-site restaurant. It is open daily from 8:00 to 17:30. The excursions themselves - as well as the entrance to the temple - are free for all visitors. But to conduct them, you must first send an application (this can be done through the official website of the cathedral), indicating the date and desired topic of the excursion.
At the Notre-Dame de la Garde Cathedral there is a souvenir shop where you can buy figurines, rosaries, icons and other religious paraphernalia as souvenirs. The store is open every day from 9:00 to 18:30 (in winter until 17:30). And finally.
Not everyone can find the Republic of Côte d’Ivoire on the map the first time. However, it is in this African country, better known in Russia by its former name Ivory Coast, that the largest church on the planet is located - the Basilica of the Blessed Virgin Mary of Peace or the Basilica of Notre Dame de la Paix (Notre Dame de la Paix). Paix).
The existence of a grandiose Catholic church in a West African country where Catholicism is far from the most popular religion can be explained simply - this is what its first president, Felix Houphouet-Boigny, wanted. The former French colony of Côte d'Ivoire gained independence only in 1960, and it was then that Houphouët-Boigny led the country for many decades. The ambitious politician in 1983 moved the capital from the large millionaire city of Abidjan to the city where he was born - Yamoussoukro, a city of two hundred thousand. Here he decided to leave a lasting memory of himself, and therefore decided to perpetuate his own name in stone. The Basilica of Notre-Dame de la Paix was supposed to be a gift from him to Pope John Paul II, and gifts to such people should, of course, be special.
The inspiration for the temple was the most famous Catholic church on earth - St. Peter's Basilica in Rome, but the Basilica surpassed it in height, rising 158 meters along with the cross. A building with an area of 30 thousand m2 can accommodate 18 thousand parishioners, which, however, is much less than the capacity of the original.
Inside, the temple is built of Italian marble, and the stained glass windows are decorated with French glass. From one of them, along with Jesus, the main architect of the temple himself, Felix Houphouet-Boigny, looks at the visitors of the basilica.
Construction of the church lasted from 1985 to 1989 and cost the country's treasury 300 million dollars (part of which was donated by the president himself). The Pope himself arrived in Yamoussoukro in 1990 to illuminate the temple. The pontiff made his visit conditional on the country's leadership promising to build a hospital next to the basilica. They promised him, and John Paul II even laid a stone next to the temple on the site of the future clinic. You can still look at the stone today - the hospital has not yet been built.
In the African republic of Côte d'Ivoire, construction of the Notre-Dame de la Paix Cathedral was completed in 1989. The initiator of its construction was the President of the Republic, Felix Boigny. Despite its relatively short history compared to its European counterparts, the cathedral is a unique structure, because it is the largest of all cathedrals in the world. And this despite the fact that Christians in the republic make up 20% of the total population.
It is believed that the reason for the decision to build the cathedral was the announcement of the city of Yamoussoukro as the capital of the republic. However, the unofficial version of the beginning of the construction of this grandiose structure is different - the ambitions of the president. With this, he wanted to leave his name in history; in the cathedral there is even a stained glass window with his image, next to the image of Christ.
The area of the largest mosque is 18.97 hectares. It is located in Islamabad and is called Shah Faisal, and can accommodate up to 100,000 worshipers simultaneously inside and 200,000 outside.
Notre-Dame de la Paix was built by analogy with St. Paul's Cathedral in Rome, but the African temple is much larger in size. Its area is more than 30,000 sq/m, and the height of the dome is almost 160 meters. The cathedral can accommodate 18,000 people, although the construction features of the cathedral in Rome allow it to accommodate several times more people. Expensive Italian marble was used during construction, and 7,000 sq/m of stained glass windows were manufactured and brought from France. The cathedral is considered one of the most significant religious buildings in the world. And as the largest church in the world, the cathedral is given an honorable place in the Guinness Book of Records.
The construction of the cathedral took four years, starting in August 1985. The first stone was laid by John Paul II. The consecration of the temple took place in September 1990, and it was carried out by the pontiff himself. Today the temple has the status of a basilica and is not the main temple of the city.
The construction of the temple cost the state treasury a lot of money, which caused considerable controversy in the world. The luxurious cathedral was built in the center of the city, most of whose residents lived below the poverty line. However, the city residents themselves clearly liked the building, and even became a source of pride. They did not even become indignant at the fact that the $300 million spent on construction doubled the state’s external debt.
And the largest religious building is considered to be the temple city of Angkor Wat in Cambodia, its area is 162.6 hectares, and its construction began already in 900 AD.
Two identical structures were built near the cathedral. The Pope stays in one of them during his visits, and the priest of the cathedral lives in the second.
The Pontiff also laid the first stone in the foundation of the city hospital near the temple; this was a prerequisite for the construction of the cathedral, but despite this, it was never built.
