Saint Louis Cathedral in Carthage back open to visitors from March 8

Closed since 2021, Saint Louis Cathedral on the top of the Byrsa hill, known since 1993 as the Acropolium of Carthage, will once again be accessible to visitors. Its partial and temporary reopening is officially scheduled for March 8, 2024, the Agency of Heritage Development and Cultural Promotion (AMVPPC) announced on Wednesday. The decision to reopen, authorised by the civil protection services, the same source said, had been made following the refurbishment and upgrading of security at the site as part of the project to revamp the Byrsa acropolis and rehabilitate the National Museum of Carthage, carried out by the AMVPPC and the National Heritage Institute (INP) with the support of Expertise France. Dating back to 1894, the monument will be open until the start - scheduled for this year - of works to renovate the National Museum of Carthage (scheduled to reopen in 2026), financed by the European Union as part of the "Tounes wijhetouna" European support programme, which focuses in particular on the promo tion of heritage, and includes the "Patrimoine 3000" component, the AMVPPC adds. The former Saint Louis Cathedral, handed over to the Tunisian State in 1974, was built between 1840 and 1845 in Carthage after the bey of Tunis donated land to the King of France in 1830. Source: Agence Tunis Afrique Presse