Chad: Restoration of Cathedral, forty years later, is well underway.
Séverin Ndingatoloum - N'Djamena and Christian Kombe, SJ - Vatican City.
Work on the restoration of the Cathedral of Our Lady of Peace in N’Djamena is progressing rapidly. A recent guided tour by national and international architects raised hopes that the Cathedral situated in the Chadian capital would be ready by Christmas this year.
Turning away from the dark pages of war
The Cathedral of Our Lady of Peace in N’Djamena was consecrated in March 1965, five years after Chad’s independence. Although it survived the first civil war (1965-1979), it was destroyed on 21 April 1980 during the second Chadian civil war (1979-1982). After the end of this armed conflict in 1983, restoration work began. However, the high cost of the restoration works led the Catholic community to opt for a modest project.
The newly restored Cathedral
The Chadian population in general, and the Catholic faithful in particular, have always dreamt of seeing the project restored and complete to its original state. Over the years, thanks to support from the Chadian state, construction has progressed in earnest.
Celebrating Christmas in the new Cathedral
Head of the restoration works, Amadou Gueye, is confident that Chad’s Catholic faithful will indeed celebrate Christmas in a restored Cathedral.
The overall cost of the restoration works amounts to more than five billion CFA francs, an amount entirely covered by the Chadian state.
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