Built between 1903 and 1909 at the initiative of Bishop Louis Dartois (1861–1905), first Apostolic Vicar of Dahomey, the Basilica of the Immaculate Conception of Ouidah is one of the rare examples of Neo-Gothic architecture in West Africa. The plans, drawn up in France under Dartois' direction, were executed on site by Father François Steinmetz (1868–1952), who led construction through to the consecration ceremony on 9 May 1909. The building follows a Latin cross plan: a central nave measuring 58 metres in length by 14 in width, a coffered vault carried by a metal frame rising to 17.5 metres, a shallow transept, and a quadrangular apse. The bell tower was never completed due to lack of funds — a spire had been planned but never built. Long serving as the cathedral and seat of the Apostolic Vicariate of Dahomey, the church was elevated to the rank of minor basilica by Pope John Paul II on 9 November 1989, and received Pope Benedict XVI in November 2011. Located at the heart of Ouidah — a city where Vodoun, Afro-Brazilian and Catholic traditions converge — the basilica remains a landmark of Beninese religious heritage.
