A Conversation with Pierre Fakhoury

Paris, April 3, 2024. Pierre Fakhoury sits behind his desk in his office on Boulevard Saint-Germain. He is in splendid shape: dark suit; green tie; long, disheveled hair; and rebellious eyes. Fakhoury, 81, is best known as the architect of the Basilica of Notre-Dame-de-la-Paix, completed in 1989 in Yamoussoukro, Côte d’Ivoire. He also designed several modern masterpieces in Côte d’Ivoire and beyond, including the Cathedral of Saint John the Baptist in Korhogo and the Tour Postel in Abidjan. In this conversation, oscillating between unease and pride, Fakhoury recounts the story of the Basilica—a journey shaped by a lifelong personal struggle with being the author of such an uncanny magnum opus.