Modeled on — and slightly larger than — St. Peter's Basilica in Rome, this is the largest church in the world by area. The dome stands 158 metres high. The stained-glass windows, made in France, are genuinely extraordinary: vivid reds and blues that flood the interior with colour. A free bus from the city centre runs visitors to the entrance. You must dress modestly to enter — no shorts, arms covered.
Basilique de Notre-Dame de la Paix
World's largest church, modeled on St. Peter's in Rome
A story
Houphouët-Boigny personally commissioned the basilica and, according to Vatican accounts, agreed to fund the entire project himself as a condition of the Pope's consecration visit in 1990. It cost an estimated $300 million — in one of the world's poorest countries. The Pope consecrated it but noted publicly that he found the extravagance troubling.