Benghazi Cathedral, dedicated to the Holy Name of Jesus, was built between 1929 and 1939 on land formerly occupied by Arabs, and was one of the largest churches in North Africa.

[2] Soon after King Idris took power in 1951, the building was slowly abandoned due to lack of maintenance.

After Muammar Gaddafi took power and suppressed the Libyan Church, plans were made to convert the building into a Mosque, as with the Cathedral of Tripoli, but the cathedral's position prevented Imams from facing Mecca, and the plans were scrapped.

[4] The Headquarters had already been abandoned by time of the Libyan Civil War, following several unsuccessful restoration efforts.

Its two characteristic domes cover both spans of the nave, while a series of oculi provide the cathedral's lighting.