Central mosque of Porto-Novo, Brazilian-influenced mosque in Porto-Novo, Benin.

The Great Mosque of Porto-Novo is a two-storey Afro-Brazilian building with a 3,700 m² tiled floor and a facade pierced by many openings. Its front is decorated with floral, vegetable and scrolled stucco moulding, and it has a long central hall with a shallow vaulted roof.

The building was constructed between 1912 and 1925 during the French colonial period and replaced an earlier structure from 1880 that was built by the Afro-Brazilian community. This development shows the long history of Islamic presence in the city.

Islam reached Porto-Novo in the 19th century through Hausa and Yoruba traders from Nigeria. King Sodji appointed a spiritual leader for the Muslim community and gave it land near the royal palace, where a first mosque rose in the 1880s; complaints about the muezzin's call led to a move to the present site.

The prayer floor covers 3,700 m² across two levels, reached by stairs, with tiled surfaces throughout. The building stands in central Porto-Novo, a short walk from the royal palace area where the first mosque stood. Non-Muslim visitors should dress modestly and avoid the halls during prayer; the many openings on the facade make the interior bright at most hours.

The building merges Islamic and Christian architectural elements in an unusual way. It features a Latin cross layout with two transepts and lancet-shaped openings, which are rarely seen in mosques.