Saint Joseph's Cathedral

The twin spires of Saint Joseph’s Cathedral rise above the stone buildings of Shangani, built from coral rag stone that glows faintly yellow in the sun. French missionaries commissioned this church in the eighteen nineties, shipping the stained glass and floor tiles directly from Marseille. When the architects finished the work in eighteen ninety-eight, they inadvertently created a landmark that guided ships into the harbor for decades. The structure still stands today as the central seat for the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Zanzibar.