Mogadishu Catherdral

This is the first stop on our walking tour. This gigantic cathedral was built in 1928 by the Italians and served as the seat for the Roman Catholic Dioceses. This building became a focal point for outsiders and people coming to "Mogadiscio" as the Italians called it. The design follows the Norman Gothic style and the building itself was a model of the Cathedral of Cefalu in Sicily. Unfortunately, as you can see in the pictures, the cathedral was destroyed in the late 2000s by al-Shababa during the Civil Wars that are still prominent today.

This picture was taken in 2014 and it shows what's left of the Cathedral. It used to be a beautifully handcrafted structure that was an obvious focal point of the city. This picture shows the damage that the Civil Wars have caused not only to the people but to places like these that have so much history behind them. It is the sad truth of how dangerous and powerful these extremist groups are that are running the country of Somalia.

Kester, Boris. “Around the World in 80 Clicks,” 2014. http://www.traveladventures.org/continents/africa/mogadishu-cathedral10.html.

“Mogadishu Cathedral,” November 1, 2020. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mogadishu_Cathedral.

“Mogadishu Cathedral.” Accessed December 5, 2020. https://www.tripadvisor.com/Attraction_Review-g294440-d8318583-Reviews-Mogadishu_Cathedral-Mogadishu.html.