The cathedral, which was designed by the Italian architect Aldo Spirito, serves as the mother church for the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Abidjan.

The striking external feature of the cathedral (which attracts visitors at the entrance itself) is the tall concrete structure, which is shaped like an anthropomorphic giant.

[1][5] Planning for building the cathedral was allotted to Italian architect Aldo Spirito in 1980, under the directive of Félix Houphouët-Boigny, President of the Côte d'Ivoire.

The materials used for building this unique edifice consists of concrete, steel, travertine (a form of limestone deposited by mineral springs), stones and sheets of stained glasses.

[9] On the exterior face of the cathedral there are fourteen panels of different sizes in many colours, which are made in terracotta ceramics with the Cross and the story of Christ as the main theme (as relevant to the local ethnic perceptions).

The cathedral has six stained glass windows covering a total surface area of 370 metres (1,213.91 ft), which were also designed by Aldo Spirito.

The stained glass panel on the left side wall facing the altar has features drawn on St Paul's lifetime activities; on the left side of the panel he is shown penning letters to the people of different denominations; the middle part shows his tour to Rome to be judged by the Pope, and at the lowest part is his giving sermon to people of various denominations.

Also is a panel in which the evangelists are shown landing on the shores of Africa, joyously surveying the local people, the wild animals such as elephants and gazelles and the vegetation of palm trees.