The bell tower
Tall and slender.
Clay Gilliland from Chandler, U.S.A. — CC BY-SA 2.0 · Martin Schibbye — CC BY-SA 4.0 · Nicholas Gemini — CC BY-SA 3.0
The Church of Our Lady of the Rosary is a large Catholic church in central Asmara that locals call «the Cathedral», known for its tall bell tower visible across the city. It is built in the Lombard Romanesque style and is one of the city's three most prominent buildings, with the Great Mosque and Enda Mariam Cathedral. It was built in 1923, when Asmara was the capital of Italian Eritrea, as the principal church of the Apostolic Vicariate of Eritrea. It was never the seat of a diocesan bishop, so it is not strictly a cathedral despite its popular name. It stands on the city's main avenue amid Italian-era buildings. You see a red-brick facade with round windows and arches, topped by small pointed turrets, beside a tall slender bell tower with a conical top. A broad stair where people sit and a small square with trees lie in front. Inside are high ceilings and stained-glass windows. It stands on Harnet Avenue in central Asmara, near the Cinema Impero. Dress modestly and respect Mass times. The UK Foreign Office advises against all but essential travel to Eritrea, and all travel near its land borders, so read the current advice before you plan.
Tall and slender.
Round windows.
Before the church.
Harnet Avenue, central Asmara, Eritrea
Cinema ImperoThe Cinema Impero is an Art Deco cinema in Asmara, Eritrea's capital, built in 13 minutes walk
Great Mosque of AsmaraThe Mosque of the Rightly Guided Caliphs is the great mosque of central Asmara, 6 minutes walk
Fiat Tagliero BuildingThe Fiat Tagliero Building is a Futurist-style filling station in Asmara, Eritre20 minutes walkPeople call it so, but it was never a diocesan seat.
Yes, the UK Foreign Office advises against all but essential travel to Eritrea.