Havana Cathedral
Catedral de San Cristóbal | |
---|---|
General information | |
Type | Religious |
Architectural style | Baroque |
Address | 156 Empedrado |
Town or city | Havana |
Country | Cuba |
Groundbreaking | 1748 |
Completed | 1777 |
Technical details | |
Structural system | Load bearing |
Material | Coral stone |
Floor count | 1 |
Website | |
https://arquidiocesisdelahabana.org/nueva// |
Havana Cathedral (Catedral de San Cristóbal) is one of eleven Catholic cathedrals on the island. It is located in the Plaza de la Catedral on Calle Empedrado, between San Ignacio y Mercaderes, Old Havana, Havana, Cuba. The thirty by forty-nine meters rectangular church serves as the seat of the Archdiocese of San Cristóbal de la Habana.[1] Christopher Columbus’ remains were kept in the cathedral between 1796 and 1898 before they were taken to Seville Cathedral.[2]
It was built between 1748 and 1777[3] and was consecrated in 1782.[4]
History
The largest missionary group in Havana was the
In 1796, after the Peace of Basel was signed and Spain ceded most of Hispaniola to France, the remains of Columbus were moved and laid to rest in the Havana Cathedral's Altar of the Gospel. The gravestone read: Oh Remains and Image of Great Columbus, Be Preserved One Thousand Years in the Funerary Urn. The remains were returned to Spain in 1898 after the Cuban War of Independence.[5]
In the early 19th century, the baroque altars were replaced by neoclassical ones, urged by Bishop Espada, a fervent admirer of Neoclassicism and the original wood ceilings were plastered over.[4]
Architecture
The cathedral's
Artworks
The cathedral contains a number of sculptures, paintings and frescoes. There is a statute of
The cathedral stands within the area of Old Havana that UNESCO designated a World Heritage Site in 1982.[8]
Gallery
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Havana Cathedral in a painting of 1860 by Joseph Navlet.[9]
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The Havana Cathedral, ca. 1920-1930
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View from the square
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Interior, 2017
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Interior in 1904
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Havana Cathedral in 1974.
See also
- National Basilica Sanctuary of the Charity del Cobre
- List of buildings in Havana
- List of Jesuit sites
Notes
- ^ Christopher Columbus’ remains were kept in the cathedral from 1796 to 1898 when they were transferred to Seville Cathedral.
- ^ Many buildings in Havana are constructed out of coral stone including the Colegio Nacional de Arquitectos de Cuba, the promenade of El Prado, and the San Carlos and San Ambrosio Seminary. Some of the exterior walls on the ground floor of the FOCSA Building of 1956 are covered with 12"x12" coral tiles.
References
- ^ This article incorporates text from a publication now in the public domain: Herbermann, Charles, ed. (1913). "Diocese de la Havana (San Cristóbal de la Habana)". Catholic Encyclopedia. New York: Robert Appleton Company.
- ^ Havana Cathedral. Retrieved 2018-10-04.
- ^ Belmont Freeman (23 June 2018). "Modern architecture in Cuba and Contemporary Preservation Challenges". Columbia University.
- ^ a b "Catedral de La Habana". lahabana.com.
- ^ "The Havana Cathedral; History of Main Parish". Archived from the original on 2014-03-24. Retrieved 2014-03-24.
- ^ "Coral as a Building_Material" (PDF). Retrieved 2019-12-30.
- .
- ^ "UNESCO".
- ^ "In pictures: Havana celebrates 500 years of foundation". BBC News Online. 16 November 2019.
External links
- Digital Photographic Archive of Historic Havana
- Panoramic Virtual Tour in Cathedral Square
- "San Cristóbal Cathedral" picture gallery
Havana Cathedral Q15043487