San José Cathedral

About this place

San José Cathedral looks onto the central square of Antigua Guatemala with a white facade rich in statues and ornament. Behind it stand the ruins of the great old cathedral, destroyed in the earthquakes of 1773, with arches open to the sky. The place combines a working parish with a powerful trace of the city's memory. Building of the first cathedral began in 1545 with rubble brought from the destroyed Almolonga Valley settlement. Frequent quakes hampered the work, so the church was demolished on 7 April 1669, and a second opened in 1680 under Juan Pascual and José de Porres. Diego de Porres repaired it after the quakes of 1717, it became a metropolitan cathedral in 1743, and the Santa Marta earthquakes then destroyed it. From the square you see the white front with three doors and statues in niches between rows of columns, with Volcán de Agua on the horizon behind. In the ruined part, soaring arches carry remains of plaster ornament, sunlight falls through the collapsed domes and green grass fills the passages, so the place feels both strong and sad. It is close to both Las Capuchinas and La Merced, each under about 600 m away. The central square in front is a good place to rest. This is a place of worship, so dress modestly and keep quiet during mass. The ruins have uneven ground, so watch your step. Crowds grow greatly in Holy Week, when streets fill with coloured carpets and processions.