Old Cathedral of the Sacred Heart of Casablanca

Casablanca, Morocco

The Church of the Sacred Heart, popularly known as the Cathedral of Casablanca for its monumental aspect, is an emblematic building built in the 1930s. Designed by the French architect Paul Tournon in a neo-Gothic style with Art Déco and neo-Moorish elements, today it functions as a cultural center of the city.

History

Its construction began in 1930 and finally ended between 1952 and 1953. Its aim was to serve the Catholic community, which at that time was made up of about 40,000 faithful. Although known as "cathedral," it was never the seat of the Moroccan archbishopric; it is called because of its monumental aspect, comparable only to the Hassan II Mosque of the same city.

The atrium and the bells are located at the entrance of the Arab League Park, originally named Lyautey Park. His stage as a church of veneration was relatively short: Morocco proclaimed its independence in 1956, which significantly reduced the Catholic population. In the 1970s, the church authorities gave up the building to the city.

Arquitectura

Its architecture is inspired by the aesthetics of European Gothic cathedrals, although built according to the canons of Art Déco, the neo-Gothic and the neo-Moorish. It follows a basic plant of five ships with apse and large colored windows. Its highest point is 33 meters, and the length is 75 meters.

The towers resemble the minarets of a mosque, and the geometric drawings of the windows imitate the Arabe- Andalusian architecture. The vitrals, the work of Florence Tournon- Branly, Jean Mamez and Louis Barillet, form the body of Christ dressed in a red robe through a golden band.