Augustine's relic
A forearm bone in a marble effigy.
BRAHIM DJELLOUL Mustapha — CC BY-SA 4.0 · alioueche mokhtar — CC BY-SA 4.0 · Samir milev — CC BY-SA 4.0 · alioueche mokhtar — CC BY-SA 4.0 · Dounia_Chibane — CC BY-SA 4.0
The Basilica of Saint Augustine crowns a hill above the ruins of Hippo Regius in Annaba, honouring the Berber-born Church Father who was bishop of Hippo from 396 until his death in 430. Begun in 1881 and consecrated in 1900, it became a minor basilica in 1914 and serves as the diocesan pro-cathedral. On 14 April 2026 Pope Leo XIV, an Augustinian, said Mass here on the first papal visit to Algeria. Antoine-Adolphe Dupuch, first bishop of Algiers, longed for a church here and in 1842 brought a bone of Augustine's right forearm from Pavia, where his remains lie. Joseph Pougnet, a self-taught priest-architect from Avignon, blended Moorish, Byzantine and Roman forms; Augustinian friars have kept it since 1933. A restoration after rainwater damage, costing nearly five million euros from Algeria, France and donors including Pope Benedict XVI, ended in 2013. Twin towers frame the façade and a dome crowns the crossing. Inside, pointed horseshoe arches, coffered wooden ceilings and Carrara marble surround stained glass telling Augustine's life. The relic rests in a glass tube set into the forearm of the saint's recumbent marble effigy. The forecourt looks over the city, the gulf and the Edough hills. It lies about 2.4 km south-west of the old town as the crow flies; taxis run there regularly. The Little Sisters of the Poor run a home for the elderly beside it. Allow 30 to 60 minutes, then see the ruins of Hippo Regius, 650 m east in a straight line. Dress modestly, covering shoulders and knees, and avoid services, especially Sunday Mass.
A forearm bone in a marble effigy.
Horseshoe arches and Carrara marble.
Over Annaba, its gulf and the Edough.
Hippone hill, above the ancient ruins, south of central Annaba
No. He was first buried at Hippo after his death in 430; his remains were later taken to Sardinia and, around 723, to Pavia in northern Italy, where they rest in San Pietro in Ciel d'Oro.
On 28 August, Saint Augustine's feast day and the anniversary of his death, when a solemn Mass is held; in 2023 the bishop of Constantine and Hippo presided.
