Sanctuary of Yagma

The sanctuary at Yagma north of Ouagadougou was built from the 1980s as a Marian pilgrimage site for Burkina Faso, with a large open-air ground, a basilica and a set of stations set out across the hillside, and it draws tens of thousands of pilgrims for the main gathering each year. Outside the pilgrimage it is quiet, and the open ground and the buildings can be walked without ceremony.

What you actually see

• The open-air ground - the space laid out for the annual gathering.
• The basilica - the main church on the sanctuary site.
• The stations - the set of markers laid out across the hillside.
• The annual pilgrimage - the gathering that brings tens of thousands.

When to go

The main pilgrimage falls in the dry season and dates are announced locally. November to February is the comfortable period generally. March to May is extremely hot.

Honest expectations

Outside the pilgrimage there is little to see and half an hour covers it. The site is modern with no historic fabric. During the gathering the roads and the ground are saturated.

Nearby

Ouagadougou is south, and Ziniaré is northeast.