Colossal cathedral rose following Rome Saint Peter Basilica pattern. It has a capacity for 18.000 faithful (plus 300.000 in the external esplanade) and its interior shows African art and motives.
Most of the money to erect it (150 millions of US Dollars) was donated by the ex Ivory Coast President Félix Houphouët-Boigny (his funeral was celebrated there). Just for you information, when the Pope of Rome (John Paul II) visited it for the blessing, he said that in Africa should not be spent those enormous quantities of money in such huge constructions, but better to have employed that money in alleviate the African penury.
However I loved it, even from the distance, when arriving to Yamasukro by bus!
