Notre-Dame de la Paix de Yamena
N'Djamena · Chad · The cathedral destroyed and rebuilt
The cathedral in the heart of the Sahel
N’Djamena (formerly called Fort-Lamy) is the capital of Chad, a Sahel country almost completely surrounded by Muslim majority countries: Libya, Sudan, Nigeria, Niger. The Christian community in Chad accounts for only 20 per cent of the population, mainly concentrated in the south of the country.
La catedral de Notre-Dame de la Paix ("Our Lady of Peace") was inaugurated in 1965. During the civil war of the 1980s it was severely destroyed. The reconstruction was slow and difficult: without resources, with the country in chaos. It was fully reopened to worship in 2023.
A sign of hope
The reopening of the cathedral in 2023, in a country where the Christian presence is minority and fragile, was celebrated as a sign of resilience. The title of "Our Lady of Peace" has a particularly significant dimension in a country that has experienced decades of armed conflict, coups d'état and civil wars.
Pope Francis mentioned the cathedral of N'Djamena in his words during his visit to Africa in 2023, as an example of a Church that "does not flee from suffering but embraces it with hope."
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