Collapsed Domes
Ruins of Cathedral de San Jose
Saint Joseph Cathedral (Spanish: Catedral de San José) is a Roman Catholic church located in the Central Plaza of Antigua Guatemala. The original church was built around 1541, but suffered several earthquakes throughout its history, and the first church building was demolished in 1669. The cathedral was rebuilt and consecrated in 1680. By 1743 the cathedral was one of the largest in Central America. However, the devastating 1773 Guatemala earthquake seriously damaged much of the building, though the two towers at the front remained largely intact. These have undergone restoration work, and the cathedral has been partly rebuilt.
The building has elaborate baroque façade in mortar, typical of antique churches. The Cathedral has smooth columns, a body and a belfry that was rebuilt after the Santa Marta earthquake in 1773. The majestic construction of this cathedral justified the title of “Metropolitan” which was bestowed on the church in 1743 by Pope Benedict XIV.
Near the main entrance, visitors can admire splendid stucco adornments that date back to the end of the 17th century. Take a peek inside and you will find a gold cloister, several colonial images and a crypt used by the Maya for religious purposes. To get some idea of the scale of the colonial cathedral, check out the ruins of the rest of the original structure, which sit behind the church. Here, visitors will find ruins of the cathedral including a mass of fallen masonry and rotting beams, columns of the cupola, broken arches, and scallops decorated with angels. Buried beneath the floor are some of the great names o the Conquest, including Pedro de Alvarado and his wife, Bishop Marroquin and the historian Bernal Diaz del Castillo. As in the rest of the building, the beauty of this construction is still evident. Interested visitors can also see the catacombs and basement of the ruins.
Collapsed Domes
Ruins of Cathedral de San Jose
Saint Joseph Cathedral (Spanish: Catedral de San José) is a Roman Catholic church located in the Central Plaza of Antigua Guatemala. The original church was built around 1541, but suffered several earthquakes throughout its history, and the first church building was demolished in 1669. The cathedral was rebuilt and consecrated in 1680. By 1743 the cathedral was one of the largest in Central America. However, the devastating 1773 Guatemala earthquake seriously damaged much of the building, though the two towers at the front remained largely intact. These have undergone restoration work, and the cathedral has been partly rebuilt.
The building has elaborate baroque façade in mortar, typical of antique churches. The Cathedral has smooth columns, a body and a belfry that was rebuilt after the Santa Marta earthquake in 1773. The majestic construction of this cathedral justified the title of “Metropolitan” which was bestowed on the church in 1743 by Pope Benedict XIV.
Near the main entrance, visitors can admire splendid stucco adornments that date back to the end of the 17th century. Take a peek inside and you will find a gold cloister, several colonial images and a crypt used by the Maya for religious purposes. To get some idea of the scale of the colonial cathedral, check out the ruins of the rest of the original structure, which sit behind the church. Here, visitors will find ruins of the cathedral including a mass of fallen masonry and rotting beams, columns of the cupola, broken arches, and scallops decorated with angels. Buried beneath the floor are some of the great names o the Conquest, including Pedro de Alvarado and his wife, Bishop Marroquin and the historian Bernal Diaz del Castillo. As in the rest of the building, the beauty of this construction is still evident. Interested visitors can also see the catacombs and basement of the ruins.