Havana Cathedral - La Habana, Cuba
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N 23° 08.468 W 082° 21.101
17Q E 361613 N 2559784
The Cathedral of the Virgin Mary of the Immaculate Conception is located in the Plaza de la Catedral in Old Havana, Cuba.
Waymark Code: WMV8EP
Location: Cuba
Date Posted: 03/13/2017
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The Jesuits began construction of the cathedral in 1748 on the site of an earlier church and it was completed in 1777, well after King Carlos III expelled the Jesuits from the island in 1767. The cathedral was renovated between 1946 and 1949.
The Cathedral is one of eleven Roman Catholic cathedrals on the island of Cuba. The thirty-four by thirty-five meter rectanglular church serves as the seat of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of San Cristobal de la Habana.
The church was built in a Baroque style with several Tuscan elements and is considered one of the best examples of Baroque architecture in Cuba. The building is mainly constructed from blocks of coral cut from sources in the Gulf of Mexico's ocean floor. Preserved marine fossils are present in the facade.
The right bell tower is wider than the left. The larger tower contains two bells that were cast with gold and silver mixed into bronze which gives them an elegant and sweeter tone. The cathedral is said to be the only example of a Baroque facade with such a distinctive asymmetrical feature.
Despite its grandiose exterior, the inside of the building is much more simple, even austere. The interior of the cathedral was extremely ornate until its "cleansing of excess ornamentation" in the 19th century. The cathedral's interior is in the neoclassical style, it has white and black marble floors, three naves covered with wooden vaults, massive stone pillars, and eight side chapels.
The cathedral contains a number of paintings and frescoes. Most are copies of original works that can be found in cathedrals around Rome and various museums. The side chapels contain copies of paintings by Peter Paul Rubens and Bartolomé Esteban Murillo, both Baroque artists. Above the main and relatively austere altar are three fading frescoes by Italian artist Giuseppe Perovani.
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