Catedral Metropolitana Basílica de San Juan Bautista Facts for Kids

This page is about the Roman Catholic Cathedral in San Juan, Puerto Rico. For the Episcopal Cathedral, see Catedral San Juan Bautista (San Juan de Puerto Rico).

Quick facts for kids Metropolitan Cathedral-Basilica of Saint John the Baptist Catedral Metropolitana Basílica de San Juan Bautista
Front entrance
Location in Puerto Rico
18°27′57″N 66°7′4″W / 18.46583°N 66.11778°W / 18.46583; -66.11778
Location	San Juan, Puerto Rico
Denomination	Roman Catholic
History
Status	Cathedral
Architecture
Style	Neoclassical
Completed	1540
Administration
Diocese	Archdiocese of San Juan de Puerto Rico

The Metropolitan Cathedral Basilica of Saint John the Baptist is a very old and important Roman Catholic church in San Juan, Puerto Rico. It's often called the San Juan Cathedral for short. This cathedral is one of the oldest buildings in Old San Juan. It is also the oldest cathedral in the United States and the second oldest in all of the Americas.

While the Cathedral of Santa María la Menor in the Dominican Republic is an older church building, the San Juan Cathedral was the first official cathedral church in the Americas. This is because San Juan, then known as the city of Puerto Rico, was the first place in the New World to have a bishop, Don Alonso Manso, in 1511. The spot where the cathedral stands today is where the very first church in the New World was built.

A special group in Puerto Rico, called Fundación Protectora de la Catedral Metropolitana de San Juan, Inc., helps take care of the cathedral. They work to raise money to fix up the building and its old art. This helps protect it for many more years.

History of the San Juan Cathedral
- First School in Puerto Rico
- Important People at the Cathedral
Gallery
See also

History of the San Juan Cathedral

The first church on this site was built in 1521. It was made of wood. At that time, the city was called Puerto Rico, but its name changed to San Juan Bautista in 1521. Sadly, a big hurricane destroyed the wooden church.

The church you see today was built in 1540. It has been changed and updated many times over the centuries. The last big changes were made in 1917.

First School in Puerto Rico

The first school in Puerto Rico was called the Escuela de gramática, or Grammar School. Bishop Alonso Manso started this school in 1513. It was located in the same area where the cathedral was later built. The school was free for everyone. Students could learn many subjects, including Latin, literature, history, science, art, and philosophy.

Important People at the Cathedral

The cathedral is a special place for many reasons. It holds the tomb of Juan Ponce de León. He was a famous Spanish explorer who helped start settlements in the New World.

The cathedral also has a shrine dedicated to Carlos Manuel Rodríguez Santiago. He was the first Puerto Rican person who was not a priest to be recognized as "Blessed" by the church. He was also the first person from the Caribbean to receive this honor.

The first person to play the organ at the San Juan Cathedral was Domingo Crisanto Delgado Gómez. He came from the Canary Islands in 1836. Before coming to Puerto Rico, he was a composer at a cathedral in his home island of Tenerife.