Bizerta

“There is also a Catholic church in Bizerte, a church whose history dates back to remote Antiquity. The church is dedicated to Saint Joseph and Saint Resituta, Virgin and martyr, who was killed during the persecution of Christians during which time Saint Cyprian of Carthage was Bishop. He himself was decapitated in the year 256.

Thought is being given today to building a more appropriate and dignified church for Saint Restituta. The current church is very small, located on a first floor which you access from stairs on the exterior. It’s preceded by a small hall, a room, really, which leads to the sacristy. The roof is supported by five joined columns. One fairly large tribune crowns the entrance. The church has four moveable side chapels consecrated to the Sacred Heart, Saint Joseph, Our Lady of Lourdes, and the Immaculate.

There are a few niches on the walls which hold statues of Saint Louis and Saint Restituta.

The church’s roof is covered in tiles with a cross on top. A dark, arched alleyway leads to the Esplanade Plaza, making for a fairly rough entrance. The other entrance from behind, on a small street, looks better.”

Archduke Ludwig Salvator of Austria, Bizerte, J. Rothschild, Paris, 1900 (Prague, 1897)