Basilica of Notre-Dame-d'Afrique

The Basilica of Notre-Dame-d'Afrique sits on a clifftop above the port of Algiers, making it one of the most prominent Catholic pilgrimage sites in North Africa. Built in the neobyzantine style and consecrated in 1872 during French colonial rule, it holds the status of a minor basilica. Its most striking feature is an inscription above the altar reading "Notre-Dame d'Afrique, priez pour nous et pour les Musulmans" — a rare invocation of interfaith coexistence that speaks to Algeria's complex colonial and religious history. The gilded statue of the Virgin Mary above the apse gazes out over the Bay of Algiers. The church's elevated hillside position affords sweeping views across the Mediterranean, drawing visitors well beyond the Catholic community.