St. Teresa of Infant Jesus Cathedral in Bouaké, Roman Catholic cathedral in Bouaké, Côte d'Ivoire.
St. Teresa of Infant Jesus Cathedral is a Roman Catholic house of worship in Bouake with a spacious nave that accommodates many worshippers. The interior follows classic Catholic architectural principles and provides space for services and religious celebrations.
Construction of the new cathedral began on 30 November 1960 to a design by the Swiss architect Strobel, replacing an older church too small for Bouaké's status. On 8 January 1961 André-Pierre Duirat of the Society of African Missions blessed it and laid the first stone. René Kouassi, the first Ivorian priest, inaugurated it on 1 October 1962, the feast of Saint Thérèse; Bishop Duirat consecrated it in 1975 and bells were added in 1984.
The cathedral is dedicated to Thérèse of Lisieux, whose liturgical feast on 1 October was the day chosen in 1962 for its inauguration by René Kouassi, the first Ivorian priest. The building is one of two Ivorian cathedrals bearing this dedication, the other being in Abengourou. Archbishop Vital Yao Komenan, president of the Ivorian bishops' conference, was buried here after his death on 23 September 2006.
The cathedral stands in Bouaké, seat of the Archdiocese of Bouaké, and Masses follow the liturgical calendar, with 1 October, the feast of Saint Thérèse, as the parish's own day. The building was inaugurated on 1 October 1962 and consecrated in 1975, so the interior furnishings date from those decades. Visitors should dress modestly and avoid entering during a service.
Thérèse of Lisieux, the dedicatee, was French, not Spanish. The other Ivorian cathedral bearing her name is in Abengourou, not a village. The archbishop Vital Yao Komenan, president of the Ivorian bishops' conference, was buried here after his death on 23 September 2006.
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