THE NOTRE-DAME-D'AFRIQUE SANCTUARY OF ABIDJAN

As early as the 1960s, Bernard Yago, then Archbishop of Abidjan, felt it was necessary to build a sanctuary in honor of Mary. The land on which the sanctuary was built belonged to Philippe Grégoire Yacé (President of the Economic and Social Council at the time), who agreed to donate his plot. The foundation stone of this edifice was laid on February 1^st, 1985, and the building was completed on February 2, 1987. It is worth noting that for the construction of the National Marian Sanctuary, President Félix Houphouët-Boigny contributed four hundred (400) million out of the eight hundred million (800) million that the project cost.