The Catholic cathedral of the Sacred Heart, a French-built brick basilica from the colonial period, is one of the more striking pieces of European architecture in southern Mali. It still serves an active parish — Sikasso has a noticeable Christian minority alongside its Muslim majority.
The building is best appreciated from the outside; the brick is the same warm red as the laterite soil, and the twin towers anchor the modern city centre as effectively as the Mamelon does its skyline.