196 votesAlgiers, Algeria
Sacré Coeur Cathedral
Paradoxically, modern architecture is more accepted by Algerians as part of the national heritage than neo-classical architecture, an earlier, inherited style.
Sacred sites are often used in succession by different religions. Many others are re-purposed for other uses entirely. This obviously changes their appearance, especially on the interior, where soaring spaces are often sub-divided. Sacré Coeur Cathedral, designed by Jean Le Couteur and Paul Herbé and built in 1952 in Algiers, offers an example of a striking modern interior that has remained intact. This is an exception in a country where many churches have been converted into mosques following Algeria’s independence from France in 1962.
Submitted by Toufik Nebbad and Nabila Cherif