The basilica is built on a promontory overlooking the sea of 124 m, north of Algiers. It is accessible by a cable car that bears his name from Bologhine (ex-Saint-Eugène), where the Saint-Eugène cemetery is located. She is considered "the twin sister of the Marseille basilica Notre-Dame-de-la-Garde."  
 

The basilica is nicknamed "Madame l'Afrique" or "Lalla Myriem" by the inhabitants of the neighborhood. For the journalist Lyes Menacer, it is a "symbol of cultural mixing and religious cohabitation for 160 years". This is evidenced by the famous inscription in the choir: "Our Lady of Africa, pray for us and for the Muslims", as well as another sentence, written in French, Arabic and Kabyle: "Brotherly love comes from God. He is God himself. »