Meanwhile, in the Congo

Cathédrale du Sacré-Coeur is the oldest existing cathedral in central Africa. Perhaps that is why it serves as a seat of the Bishop of the Archdiocese of Brazzaville .  The building itself was constructed between 1892 and 1894. The main entrance, with a large inscription of “Dieu est Amour” is decorated with two large statues of St. Paul on one side, and St. Peter on the other.  To the right of the building, there is a large, fenced courtyard - quite pretty and if there was playground equipment there, it could serve as a nice park.  The courtyard is surrounded by buildings, which I assume are used by the church as well.  Charles de Gaulle visited the cathedral in 1944 and Pope John Paul II came in 1980. I walk by the cathedral every day with one of our dogs.  The door is always open and often there is nice singing coming from the inside, or at least you see people going in and out for their morning prayers. There is a taxi stand right in front of the building....

From 1940 until 1943 Brazzaville was the capital of Afrique française libre (Free French Africa), which covered French Equatorial Africa and Cameroon and was part of the French empire under the military control of General Charles de Gaulle. Afrique française libre provided natural resources, manpower and a convenient location for running military operations. There are a few landmarks leftover from that time, the most famous being Charles de Gaulle’s house, which now serves as the French ambassador’s residence, and Saint Anne’s Basilica. The decision to construct the basilica was made in 1936 during an influx of converts to Poto Poto but the foundations were not laid until 1943 when there was a justified need for strong symbols in the capital.  The basilica was designed by Roger Erell, a famous French architect who blended Western architectural styles  with local building techniques. This was also the first time a European architect worked with local artists such as Benoit Kono...