Yamoussoukro is the official capital city of Côte d'Ivoire, and the basilica is its most famous landmark. The building was completed in 1990 and it took about three years to build. Thousands of workers and craftspeople helped to put it together.
The dome alone is the height of a 50-storey building. When the sun catches the coloured glass windows, patterns of light in gold, blue, and green pour across the floor inside. The windows are made from over 7,400 square metres of stained glass – that is bigger than an entire football pitch.
Outside, the building is surrounded by beautifully kept gardens, fountains, and a wide plaza where people walk and gather. From above, the curved colonnades look a little like two arms reaching out to welcome visitors. Architects from all over the world come to study how it was designed and built.