7 Most Beautiful Churches in Nigeria

With over 182 million people, Nigeria is the most populated country in Africa.

The Nigerian people are very religious and spend a lot of time visiting churches or other places of worship to pray. The country is split almost equally between the Christian and Islam religions.

The bulk of Nigerian Muslims are Sunni and primarily tend to live in Northern Nigeria. Whereas Christians dominate the south of the country; most of whom are Protestant.

The country saw significant growth in places to worship over the past 20 years also. There are churches representing Roman Catholic, Protestant, Eastern Orthodox, as well as other Christian types.

St. Patrick’s Cathedral

Location: Awka, Anambra

St. Patricks Cathedral is one of the most beautiful of them all. It represents the Roman Catholic Diocese of Awka. Located in the Nigerian state of Anambra, in the Awka city.

The ecclesiastical province of the renown Onitsha in Nigeria. The church is beautifully designed with roomy white halls, through which one can feel the Lord's spirit when walking through.

The church is home to a lot of events, such as meeting, and special as well as holiday occasions. To truly get the feel for how peaceful it is inside, be sure to visit on your next trip.

Another must read: Most Populous African Countries

All Saints Anglican Church

Location: Onitsha, Anambra

The All Saint Anglican Church construction started back on November 9th, 1949. It was the former British Governer general of Nigeria, Sir John Stewart Macpherson, who laid the foundation stone for it in Onitsha.

The church was then built in phases over the years. The church has witnessed some turbulent times in its existence, withstanding the detrimental Nigerian civil war. Though the outer structure remained in tack, it's inside, such as the furniture was not as withstanding.

The church aims to blend the old with the new and provide a service that meets everyone's needs. The Holy Communion is celebrated every day. The Church's vision statement is to "To raise mature disciples of Christ who will exercise their gifts both in the church and mission fields."

Maria Assumpta Catholic Church

Location: Owerri, Imo

Also called the Owerri Cathedral, this beautiful and imposing church can be found in the Nigerian state Imo's capital. It is the seat of The Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Owerri.

The construction of this marvelous cathedral began in 1954 and was not until 1980 that it was dedicated. The Nigerian Civil War stopped construction from 1967-1970. It was Irish Bishop, Joseph Brendan Whelan, who led the plan to build a modern cathedral in Owerri.

With the funds being sourced from outside of Nigeria, coming from Rome for the most part. The capacity of the building is 3,000 people. Meaning it is huge! Covering an area of 2,996 km². Of the 1.7 million people in the surrounding metro, 670,986 are members of the Catholic Church.

Cathedral Church of Christ

Location: Marina, Lagos

This stunning Church of Christ was completed in 1946. But construction and plans started much earlier than that. The foundation stone for the first cathedral building was laid on March 29th, 1867 and the cathedral was established in 1869.

It is more popularly known as the Cathedral Church of Christ Marina and is not just one of the most beautiful, but also most important churches in Nigeria and West Africa.

Serving at various times throughout it's past as the seat for the archbishop of the Province of West Africa, the seat of the archbishop and primate of All Nigeria as well as the seat of the archbishop of the Ecclesiastical Province of Lagos.

The church sits in the midst of the vibrant Marina Rd. in Lagos and can be easily spotted and identified for it's big clock on the tower and people taking photos in front of it. Very often, if you're in the area, you'll see a wedding happening at the church.

Related: Richest Countries In Africa

The Synagogue of the Church of All Nations

Location: Lagos, Nigeria

As soon as it's construction was completed in 1991, this holy structure gained notoriety and slowly became one of the most visited places in Nigeria. Located in the suburb of Lagos, the architecture of the Synagogue of the Church of All Nations fits into it's surroundings effortlessly.

Yet, one can't help but feel it's presence even from afar. Designed and built in a classical style, with a lot of arches, spacious openings, and palm trees adorning it's perimeter. As you walk up to the front entrance, you are greeting with a sizable stained glass window with scenic depictions of various Jewish holidays.

Once inside the building, visitors describe being overcome with tranquility and stripped of material worries. The Synagogue has gained a reputation as a place of healing, and visitors from all over the world come to seek treatment for their ills through prayer. The church hosts all sorts of events, from bar mitzvah's to circumcisions.

Related: West African Countries

Aba Nigeria Temple

Location: Aba, Abia

The Aba Nigeria Temple is a marvelous architectural feat that has a gigantic total floor area of 11,500 square feet (1,070 m2). It is the 121st operating temple of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.

The temple had to be closed in 2009 due to the violence in the Aba area and safety concerns for personnel, but it was re-opened again in 2010. It is one of only three temples of it's kind to be built in all of Africa.

It's hard to miss this beautiful temple as it sits on 2.5 hectares (6.3 acres) of land and has a towering statue of the angel Moroni on top of the spire of the temple. The temple sits on the outskirts of Aba, along the Ogbor River, and actually a bridge had to be built over the Ogbor to provide access to the temple.

Since it's announcement and it's grand ceremonial opening, thousands of people from all walks of life and professions came to tour the temple and learn about it's ceremonies.

More than 7,000 people attended the official dedication of the Aba Nigeria Temple on August 7th, 2005 by the president of the main LDS church, Gordon B. Hinckley.

National Church of Nigeria

Location: Abuja, Nigeria

The National Church of Nigeria, officially known as the National Christian Centre, and which has been previously known as the National Ecumenical Centre, is one of the more recent churches.

It was completed in 2005 and located in Abuja, Nigeria's capital. The church was designed and built utilizing a postmodern Neo-Gothic style, resulting from cooperation between Nigerian and Italian architecture firms.

The project was initially started in 1989 but lay stagnant until 2004 when the Christian Association of Nigeria ensured it's speedy completion. Just in time for it's dedication in 2005 to coincide with the nations celebration of 45 years of Nigerian independence.

When the church is not being used for Christian ceremonies, it is open to the general public. Generally, the tours are with a guide and visitors leave feeling more at peace than on the way in.

Conclusion

Nigeria is a big, populous, and continuously growing country. It has many religions, but the two main ones being Islam and Christianity. The religious faith of the Nigerian people has resulted in some amazing structures being built over the years as a testament to this.

We hope you enjoyed our list of the seven most beautiful Nigerian churches. If you happen to be in a position to visit one of them, we strongly encourage you to do so.

Keep reading: Must See Places When Visiting Zimbabwe