Africa is full of amazing 20th century architecture, whether it's an almost forgotten piece of Italy, or some incredible space-age buildings. But fewer people realize the space-age, modernist style was adapted to church architecture, too. Here are some of the most breathtaking African churches built in the 20th century.
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The Neo-Gothic Church of the Sacred Heart of Jesus (also known as the Casablanca Cathedral), Casablanca, Morroco, designed by Paul Tournon in 1930. It was a church until the independence of Morocco in 1956, when it was converted into a cultural center.
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(via weepingredorger and udarnik-truda)
Cathedral of Our Lady of the Immaculate Conception, Maputo, Mozambique
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The Nda Mariam Orthodox Church, with an impressive mosaic by the Italian painter Nenne Sanguineti Poggi, built in the 1950s
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(via Charles Roffey)
Cathédrale du Sacré-Cœur d'Alger, Algiers, Algeria, designed by Paul Herbé and Jean Le Couteur, constructed between 1944 and 1956.
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(via Wikimedia Commons)
Saint Antonio Catholic Church, Maputo, Mozambique, designed by Nuno Craveiro Lopes, constructed between 1959 and 1962.
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(via Afrotecture and GenZA SAGen)
All Saints Anglican Cathedral, Onitsha, Nigeria
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(via Panoramio, Gbooza and Nairaland)
Cathedral of Our Lady of The Good Shepherd, Djibouti, designed by Joseph Müller, 1964
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(via Djibouti Guidebook)
The Igreja Santana in Caxito, Angola
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(via Angola Field Group)
Saint Mark's Coptic Orthodox Cathedral, Cairo, Egypt, designed by Michel Bakhoum, consecrated in 1968
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(via Wikimedia Commons)
The Notre Dame Cathedral in N'Djaména, Chad, severely damaged during the civil war, rebuilt in the 1980s
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(via Wikimedia Commons and Colin's Pics)
Basilica of the Uganda Martyrs, Namugongo, Uganda, built between 1968 and 1975.
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(via Wikimedia Commons and Uganda Diaspora News)
St. Paul's Cathedral in Abidjan, Côte d'Ivoire (Ivory Coast), designed by Aldo Spirito, consecrated in 1980
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(via Wikimedia Commons and Felix Krohn)
Shrine of Mary Help of Christians Church in Nairobi, Kenya, 1993
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(via Don Bosco Kenya, David J Cote and Archidatum)