Cathedral of St. Vincent de Paul

About Cathedral of St. Vincent de Paul

Cathedral in Tunisia

The Cathedral of St Vincent de Paul, on Place de l'Indépendance in central Tunis where Avenue Habib Bourguiba meets Avenue de France, opposite the French embassy, is the main Catholic church in Tunisia and the seat of the Archdiocese of Tunis, and the largest surviving building of the city's colonial period. It is dedicated to St Vincent de Paul, the French priest who was sold into slavery in Tunis in the 17th century and, once freed, devoted his life to charity, becoming patron saint of charitable work. Designed by L. Bonnet-Labranche, it mixes Moorish revival, Gothic revival and Neo-Byzantine styles. The cornerstone was laid in 1890, building began in 1893, and it opened at Christmas 1897 without its bell towers for lack of funds; the reinforced-concrete towers were finished in 1910. A golden mosaic of Christ flanked by two angels decorates the façade. Under a 1964 agreement between the Tunisian government and the Vatican, the cathedral remained the property of the Catholic Church. Today it is a prominent heritage landmark in the heart of the capital.

Where:

Tunis, Tunisia