Joanna James
The Sao Paulo Cathedral, located in the Cathedral Square, was consecrated in 1954. It is the largest Catholic Church in the city.
The Sao Paulo Cathedral is located in the heart of Sao Paulo, the most populated city in Brazil. There are a number of attractions that tourists flock to, including the Sao Paulo Museum of Art, the Bandeiras Monument, the Octavio Frias de Oliveira Bridge and the Paulista Museum. The attraction known as the Sao Paulo Cathedral, also known as Catedral da Se de Sao Paulo, and Catedral Metropolitana in the local vernacular, is located in the Cathedral Square known as Praca da Se.
The Metropolitan Cathedral of Sao Paulo is known to be one of the largest Gothic temples in the entire world. It is a Roman Catholic Church. At present, the Metropolitan Archbishop of the archdiocese is Cardinal Odilo Pedro Scherer and he was so appointed in 2013. The Cathedral took forty years to build.
The history of the Sao Paulo Cathedral can be traced back to the 16th century when a decision was taken to build a church in Sao Paulo, which at that time was a very small village. This small church was envisioned in 1589 but was only completed in 1616. However, the structure was demolished in 1745 following the city becoming the seat of a diocese and in its place, a new one built in the Baroque style. This structure was again demolished in 1911 but during the period preceding its demolition, it was known as the Sao Paulo Cathedral. The Cathedral we see today was built thereafter under the guidance of the first Archbishop of the city, namely, Duarte Loepoldo e Silva. The structure was designed by Maximilliam Emil Hehl, a German architect, and the Cathedral was built in a Neo – Gothic style. While construction commenced in 1913, the structure was completed only in 1954. However, the towers remained incomplete and were only completed in 1967. Therefore, the Sao Paulo Cathedral was consecrated in 1954.
The Cathedral has a length of 111 metres, a width of 46 metres and a spire height of 92 metres. This makes the Sao Paulo Cathedral the largest Catholic Church Sao Paulo. It is also the second largest Cathedral, the largest being the Pentecostal Templo de Salomao. The Cathedral hosts a crypt which can be found beneath the main altar. Decorated with marble sculptures, the crypt hosts the tombs of all the archbishops of the city. The organ of the Cathedral is also one of the largest of its kind in the entire continent. Built in 1954 by Balbiani and Rossi, an Italian firm, the organ has five keyboards and 12, 000 pipes.
The Sao Paulo Cathedral is a must visit destination for tourists staying in luxury hotels in Sao Paulo for it provides an insight into the religious faith as well as the architecture of the city. It is only a fifteen-minute drive from most hotels in the area such as Tivoli Mofarrej Sao Paulo and those visit the Cathedral can also make a visit to the nearby Parque Dom Pedro II, the Praca das Artes and Theatro Municipal de Sao Paulo.
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