The Cathedral Basilica of Our Lady of Seven Sorrows is one of the most remarkable buildings in West Africa, and it would be a genuine waste to pass through Navrongo and not go inside. Built in the early twentieth century under the direction of the White Fathers mission, the church is constructed of mud brick in a style that blends Catholic architecture with Sahel vernacular building. From the outside it looks unusual; from the inside it is astonishing.
The entire interior — nave walls, ceiling, pillars, and apse — is covered in painted decoration carried out in traditional Kassena style. The Kassena are known for their compound walls, which women paint in intricate geometric patterns using local earth pigments: red ochre, white kaolin, black soot. Here those same patterns frame biblical scenes and Christian symbols, creating an effect that is genuinely syncretic rather than merely decorative. The Virgin Mary appears in settings that could be northern Ghanaian villages. The effect is moving in a way that conventional church art rarely manages.
The cathedral was elevated to a basilica in 2012. It remains a working parish church and sees regular services. Visitors are welcome outside of service times; a small donation is appreciated.