Benghazi Cathedral () is a former

Roman Catholic The Catholic Church (), also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with 1.27 to 1.41 billion baptized Catholics worldwide as of 2025. It is among the world's oldest and largest international institut ...

church Church may refer to: Religion * Church (building), a place/building for Christian religious activities and praying * Church (congregation), a local congregation of a Christian denomination * Church service, a formalized period of Christian comm ...

in the city of

Benghazi Benghazi () () is the List of cities in Libya, second-most-populous city in Libya as well as the largest city in Cyrenaica, with an estimated population of 859,000 in 2023. Located on the Gulf of Sidra in the Mediterranean Sea, Mediterranean, Ben ...

Libya Libya, officially the State of Libya, is a country in the Maghreb region of North Africa. It borders the Mediterranean Sea to the north, Egypt to Egypt–Libya border, the east, Sudan to Libya–Sudan border, the southeast, Chad to Chad–L ...

. It is located in the city center.

History

Benghazi Cathedral, dedicated to the

Holy Name of Jesus In Catholicism, the veneration of the Holy Name of Jesus (also ''Most Holy Name of Jesus'', ) developed as a separate type of devotion in the early modern period, in parallel to that of the ''Sacred Heart''. The ''Litany of the Holy Name'' is ...

, was built between 1929 and 1939 on land formerly occupied by Arabs, and was one of the largest churches in

North Africa North Africa (sometimes Northern Africa) is a region encompassing the northern portion of the African continent. There is no singularly accepted scope for the region. However, it is sometimes defined as stretching from the Atlantic shores of t ...

. It was designed by the Italian architects Ottavio Cabiati and Guido Ferrazza. It was lightly damaged when Benghazi was captured by the

Wehrmacht The ''Wehrmacht'' (, ) were the unified armed forces of Nazi Germany from 1935 to 1945. It consisted of the German Army (1935–1945), ''Heer'' (army), the ''Kriegsmarine'' (navy) and the ''Luftwaffe'' (air force). The designation "''Wehrmac ...

during

Operation Sonnenblume Operation Sonnenblume (, "Operation Sunflower") was the name given to the dispatch of German and Italian troops to North African campaign, North Africa in February 1941, during the Second World War. The Italian Tenth Army (Italy), 10th Army () ha ...

. Soon after King Idris took power in 1951, the building was slowly abandoned due to lack of maintenance. After

Muammar Gaddafi Muammar Muhammad Abu Minyar al-Gaddafi (20 October 2011) was a Libyan military officer, revolutionary, politician and political theorist who ruled Libya from 1969 until Killing of Muammar Gaddafi, his assassination by Libyan Anti-Gaddafi ...

took power and suppressed the Libyan Church, plans were made to convert the building into a

Mosque A mosque ( ), also called a masjid ( ), is a place of worship for Muslims. The term usually refers to a covered building, but can be any place where Salah, Islamic prayers are performed; such as an outdoor courtyard. Originally, mosques were si ...

, as with the Cathedral of Tripoli, but the cathedral's position prevented Imams from facing

Mecca Mecca, officially Makkah al-Mukarramah, is the capital of Mecca Province in the Hejaz region of western Saudi Arabia; it is the Holiest sites in Islam, holiest city in Islam. It is inland from Jeddah on the Red Sea, in a narrow valley above ...

, and the plans were scrapped. The building was later used as a headquarters for the

Arab Socialist Union The Arab Socialist Union may refer to: *Arab Socialist Union (Egypt), active 1962–78 *Arab Socialist Union (Iraq), active 1964–68 *Arab Socialist Union (Libya), active 1971−77 *Arab Socialist Union Party (Syria), founded in 1973 *Democratic ...

. The Headquarters had already been abandoned by time of the Libyan Civil War, following several unsuccessful restoration efforts. The Cathedral survived the Battle of Benghazi (2014–2017) without major structural damage. In 2022, restoration works on the cathedral commenced. While municipal authorities stated that restoration works were being done in connection with the cathedral's status as a historic site, signage on the scaffolding of the cathedral indicated that the cathedral was, in fact, being converted into a mosque dedicated to Imam

Malik ibn Anas Malik ibn Anas (; –795) also known as Imam Malik was an Arab Islamic scholar and traditionalist who is the eponym of the Maliki school, one of the four schools of Islamic jurisprudence in Sunni Islam.Schacht, J., "Mālik b. Anas", in: ''E ...

. Locals alleged that the conversion was being done by the city's

Awqaf A (; , plural ), also called a (, plural or ), or ''mortmain'' property, is an inalienable charitable endowment under Islamic law. It typically involves donating a building, plot of land or other assets for Muslim religious or charit ...

Authority.

Architectural features

The building is an example of Neoclassical and Italian

Fascist architecture Fascist architecture encompasses various stylistic trends in architecture developed by architects of fascist states, primarily in the early 20th century. Fascist architectural styles gained popularity in the late 1920s with the ri ...

. The cathedral's form is that of a basilica. The entrance has a portico with four Doric columns and two side pillars. Its two characteristic domes cover both spans of the nave, while a series of oculi provide the cathedral's lighting. Original plans show that the cathedral was not completed as planned; the designs included a three-story bell tower and sumptuous ceiling decoration, neither of which were built. It is nonetheless one of the largest churches in North Africa.

References

{{commons category, Benghazi Cathedral Buildings and structures in Benghazi Roman Catholic churches completed in 1939 Former Roman Catholic churches in Libya Roman Catholic cathedrals in Libya 20th-century Roman Catholic church buildings 20th-century religious buildings and structures in Libya

History

Architectural features

See also

References