The Saint-Louis church is a former Christian religious building located in the Sidi Houari district of Oran.
The building is unoccupied at this moment. More than that, it is completly abandonned by everyone including the local authorities, usually invaded by drunk squatters, it represent the sad image of Sidi El Houari (the old city of Oran) where 80% of historical places of Oran are located. and where many of them are being destroyed every day.
The history of the place is particularly interesting, it is a witness to the different civilisations that came to Oran during the course of history.
The location of the church was originally a mosque, the mosque Djamal Ibn El Beitar, built in 1347. This mosque was totally destroyed after the invasion of Oran by the Spaniards in 1509, after that, they built the Church of Our Lady of Victory.
In 1708, after the victory over the Spaniards by Bey Mustafa Ben Youssef, the Muslims trashed the church and the place was offered to the Jews to establish their synagogue. The Spaniards invaded Oran again in 1732 and the place once again became a church.
During the earthquake of 1790 it was largely destroyed and finally abandoned by the Spaniards in 1792. The church was finally rebuilt by the French in 1838 and elevated to the rank of Cathedral in 1866.
The crosses, the rose window and the four statues representing Saint Louis King of France, Saint Irénée, Saint Augustin and Saint Vincent have unfortunately disappeared.
This photo reportage was featured by ARCH International (Alliance for the Restauration of Cultural Heritage) in their Wall of Shame project.
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