Basilica of Our Lady of Salvation from Popenguine
The Basilica of Our Lady of Salvation of Popenguine (French: Basilique Notre-Dame de la Délivrande de Popenguine ) is a Roman Catholic pilgrimage church in Popenguine, a village on the Senegalese coast in the Thiès region , 60 kilometers south of Dakar . It belongs to the Archdiocese of Dakar .
In an area characterized by animism and Muslims since the 16th century, Bishop Mathurin Picarda, enchanted by the beauty of the place, founded the sanctuary based on the model of the Basilique Notre-Dame de la Délivrande in Douvres-la-Délivrande in Normandy . After that, the church was built from 1888, the construction of which lasted until 1988 despite its sober architecture and without any special design. This oldest Christian religious building in the country is an important symbol of Catholicism in Senegal and houses the miraculous image of a Black Madonna .
The church was elevated to a minor basilica by Pope John Paul II during his pastoral visit to Senegal on February 20, 1992 . It is the only church in the country to have this title.
Pilgrimage
The basilica is the destination of an annual pilgrimage on Whit Monday, in which believers from neighboring countries and Muslims also take part, with the Muslims also helping to organize the Marian pilgrimage. Many pilgrims come to Popenguine from Dakar on foot.
Individual evidence
- ↑ a b Notre Dame de Popenguine on afriquespoir.org (French)
- ^ Basilique Notre-Dame de la Délivrance on gcatholic.org
Coordinates: 14 ° 33 ′ 16.5 " N , 17 ° 6 ′ 41.8" W.