Basilica of Saint Augustine

The Basilica of Saint Augustine crowns a hillside above Annaba, visible from most of the city and across the bay. Built between 1881 and 1900 during the French colonial period, it was designed by architect Henri Vian and intended to honour Saint Augustine, who served as Bishop of Hippo Regius from 396 AD until his death during the Vandal siege of 430. The design echoes Sacré-Cœur in Paris, with a white facade and prominent dome.

Inside, the basilica holds one arm bone of Augustine himself — a relic donated by the Pope in 2001 and housed in an elaborate reliquary. The views from the terrace in front of the basilica take in the red-tiled rooftops of Annaba, the Mediterranean coastline, and on clear days the mountains of Tunisia. A monumental statue of Saint Augustine in bishop's robes and mitre stands on the facade, arms outstretched toward the bay.

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A story
Augustine of Hippo died here on 28 August 430 AD as the Vandals besieged the city — he had survived long enough to see two of three previous sieges lifted, but not this one. The relics of Augustine were later moved to Sardinia and then to Pavia, Italy, where they remain. This 19th-century basilica was built by the French colonial administration in his memory, modelled on Sacré-Cœur in Paris.