Antigua Guatemala Cathedral Facts for Kids

Quick facts for kids Cathedral of Santiago Parish of San José
Catedral Primada de Santiago; Parroquia de San José (Spanish)
Cathedral of San José, 2007
Religion
Affiliation	Catholic Church
Province	Santiago de Guatemala
Rite	Roman Rite
Ecclesiastical or organizational status	cathedral
Leadership	Archbishop Cardinal Rodolfo Quezada Toruño
Year consecrated	1541
Status	World Heritage Site
Location
Location	Antigua Guatemala, Sacatepéquez
Municipality	Antigua Guatemala
Location in Antigua Guatemala
Territory	Archdiocese of Guatemala
Architecture
Architectural type	church

The Parish of San José (Spanish: Catedral de San José) is a church in Antigua Guatemala. It is part of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Santiago de Guatemala. This church is built on a part of the old Primate Cathedral of Antigua Guatemala. The original cathedral was badly damaged by the 1773 Guatemala earthquakes.

Building the first cathedral started in 1545. Workers used stones from a destroyed town nearby. Earthquakes often damaged the building, making it hard to finish. On April 7, 1669, the church was torn down. A new one was opened in 1680, designed by Juan Pascual and José de Porres. There is also proof that Spanish engineer Martín de Andújar Cantos helped rebuild it.

History of the Cathedral
Images for kids
See also

History of the Cathedral

Building the Cathedral

A painting from 1676 showing the cathedral almost finished.

The Cathedral of Santiago was built three times. The last version was officially opened in November 1680. It was designed by master Joseph de Porres. In 1718, after the 1717 Guatemala earthquake, Diego de Porres fixed parts like the arches, dome, and front of the building.

The main altar was under a large dome. It had sixteen columns decorated with bronze medallions. On top of the altar were statues of the Virgin Mary and the twelve Apostles, made of ivory.

The main square of Antigua Guatemala in 1827.

In 1743, the Cathedral of Santiago de Guatemala became a Metropolitan Cathedral. This was a very important event, celebrated with big parties in February 1745. A special cloth called a pallium was brought from Europe for the Archbishop.

When the Archbishop arrived, many important people came out to meet him. These included church leaders, city officials, and members of the clergy. They had a special church service and then a big party at the Archbishop's Palace.

The Parish of San José around 1840. This church, started in 1804, uses the old entrance of the cathedral. Its main area is where the cathedral's southern bell tower used to be. The cathedral's bell towers were still standing but damaged.

On November 14, 1745, the main celebration took place. Bells rang, and fireworks went off early in the morning. Public officials went to the beautifully decorated cathedral for a special mass. When the pallium was placed on Archbishop Pardo y Figueroa, more bells rang and firecrackers exploded. There was also a fireworks display in the square outside the cathedral. A fancy dinner followed for important guests.

The party continued all night with more fireworks. For the next eight days, different religious groups held their own celebrations. There were also local dances, horse races, and bullfights in the main square.

The historian Domingo Juarros believed that about fifty thousand pesos were spent on these celebrations.

The Santa Marta earthquake of 1773 caused serious damage to the cathedral. Two of its chapels were repaired in the early 1800s. Under the church, there is a crypt and a network of tunnels whose purpose is not fully known.

The cathedral also held the remains of the conqueror Pedro de Alvarado. His daughter asked for them to be moved there in 1568. In the 1940s, his remains were moved again. After another earthquake in 1976, they were stored in the city hall of Antigua Guatemala. In December 2007, they were returned to the same spot in the Cathedral of Antigua Guatemala.

Moving to the New City

The Parish of San José in the old Cathedral of Santiago de la Antigua Guatemala in an engraving from 1884. Notice that the bell towers have fallen after the 1874 earthquake.

After the 1773 earthquakes, the cathedral was moved to Nueva Guatemala de la Asunción (Guatemala City) on November 22, 1779. The Parish church of El Sagrario, which also used the building, moved in May 1780. The altars, furniture, and instruments from the old cathedral stayed behind. But in 1783, they were removed and stored in the University of San Carlos building, which was across from the cathedral. The huge walls of the old cathedral remained standing, and the inside was used as a cemetery.

The Parish of San José

In 1804, Archbishop Peñalver y Cárdenas decided to create the Parish of El Señor San José in Antigua Guatemala. This new parish combined three smaller parishes. The new parish received an important statue called the Lord of the Descent, which is still honored there today.

In 1806, Father Rafael José Luna, the priest of San José, thought about using the ruins of the old cathedral as the new parish church. In 1814, church leaders agreed. In 1819, they started to fix up the building. They tore down damaged parts, like the bell towers. The work stopped for a while but started again in 1832. When the repairs were finished, the Parish of San José moved from the old University of San Carlos building into the old cathedral. It has been there ever since.

The 1874 Earthquake

According to The New York Times, the earthquake in Guatemala on September 3, 1874, was one of the strongest in the world that year. The earthquake caused about US$300,000 in damage. Towns affected included Antigua Guatemala, Dueñas, Parramos, Patzicía, Jocotenango, San Pedro Sacatepéquez, and Amatitlán.

A witness said the earthquake felt like the ground was moving up and down and side to side, like waves. The ground seemed to rise about a foot higher than normal.

The photographer Eadweard Muybridge visited Antigua Guatemala in 1875. He took pictures showing the city after this earthquake. His photos, when compared to older drawings, show that the Parish of San José lost its bell towers in this earthquake.

In 1897, writer Ariza Poitevín described the cathedral ruins. He said there were many ruined churches and buildings. Thick tree roots grew through cracks in the walls because the buildings were left alone. He also said that visiting the cathedral was difficult because it was dirty and damp. Night birds and bats lived there, making the place look spooky.

20th Century Changes

The front of the cathedral, damaged by the 1976 earthquake. Photo from 1979.

In 1918, after earthquakes hit Guatemala City, Herbert J. Spinden visited the Cathedral of Antigua Guatemala. He was a reporter for National Geographic Magazine. Spinden described the cathedral's condition: "The front of the cathedral faces the city's main square and hides a large area of destroyed buildings. You can enter the ruined main area through a side door. Inside, you pass under the central dome where the pillars are decorated with angels. Or, you can go up to the roof and carefully walk on the plants that have grown on the beams connecting the egg-shaped domes."