The Metropolitan Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception of Mary (
Spanish
Spanish might refer to:
* Items from or related to Spain:
**Spaniards are a nation and ethnic group indigenous to Spain
**Spanish language, spoken in Spain and many Latin American countries
**Spanish cuisine
Other places
* Spanish, Ontario, Can ...
: ''Catedral Metropolitana de la Inmaculada Concepción de María''), referred to as the New Cathedral (''La Nueva Catedral''), is located in
Managua
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,
Nicaragua
Nicaragua (; ), officially the Republic of Nicaragua (), is the largest country in Central America, bordered by Honduras to the north, the Caribbean to the east, Costa Rica to the south, and the Pacific Ocean to the west. Managua is the cou ...
. It was dedicated to the Immaculate Conception of the
Virgin Mary
Mary; arc, ܡܪܝܡ, translit=Mariam; ar, مريم, translit=Maryam; grc, Μαρία, translit=María; la, Maria; cop, Ⲙⲁⲣⲓⲁ, translit=Maria was a first-century Jewish woman of Nazareth, the wife of Joseph and the mother o ...
.
History
The cathedral was built in 1991 to serve as a replacement for the
Old Cathedral of Managua
The Old Cathedral of Managua, known as the ''Catedral de Santiago'' (St. James' Cathedral) in Spanish, is a cathedral in Managua, Nicaragua.
The Cathedral was designed by Belgian architects. Its neoclassical design was said to have been inspired ...
or St. James' Cathedral (''Catedral de Santiago''). The old cathedral was damaged and thought to be unrestoreable after a
1972 earthquake that destroyed 90% of the city.
The new cathedral was designed by the
Mexican architect
Ricardo Legorreta
Ricardo Legorreta Vilchis (May 7, 1931 – December 30, 2011) was a Mexican architect. He was a prolific designer of private houses, public buildings and master plans in Mexico, the United States of America and some other countries.
He was awarde ...
. Construction began around August 1991, and the cathedral was inaugurated on September 4, 1993. The cost of the newly built cathedral was estimated at $4.5 million. The new cathedral has generated much controversy, particularly about its architectural style and finance.
The costs were covered partially thanks to the help of American
Tom Monaghan
Thomas Stephen Monaghan (born March 25, 1937) is an American entrepreneur who founded Domino's Pizza in 1960. He owned the Detroit Tigers from 1983 to 1992. Monaghan also owns the Domino's Farms Office Park, located in the Ann Arbor Charter Town ...
, owner of
Domino's Pizza
Domino's Pizza, Inc., trading as Domino's, is an American multinational pizza restaurant chain founded in 1960 and led by CEO Russell Weiner. The corporation is Delaware domiciled and headquartered at the Domino's Farms Office Park in Ann Arbor ...
.
Locals refer to it as ''La Chichona'' on account of the plethora of
cupola
In architecture, a cupola () is a relatively small, most often dome-like, tall structure on top of a building. Often used to provide a lookout or to admit light and air, it usually crowns a larger roof or dome.
The word derives, via Italian, from ...
s adorning it which resemble many ''chichas'' (
Spanish
Spanish might refer to:
* Items from or related to Spain:
**Spaniards are a nation and ethnic group indigenous to Spain
**Spanish language, spoken in Spain and many Latin American countries
**Spanish cuisine
Other places
* Spanish, Ontario, Can ...
: slang for "breasts").
A fire started by a
Molotov cocktail
A Molotov cocktail (among several other names – ''see other names'') is a hand thrown incendiary weapon constructed from a frangible container filled with flammable substances equipped with a fuse (typically a glass bottle filled with flamma ...
damaged an image of ''Sangre de Cristo y el Santísimo'' in the cathedral on July 31, 2020. Neither of the two people in the cathedral at the time were injured.
See also
*
Managua
)
, settlement_type = Capital city
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*
Religion in Nicaragua
Religion in Nicaragua is predominantly Christian and forms a significant part of the culture of the country as well as its constitution. Religious freedom and religious tolerance is promoted by both the Nicaraguan government and the constitution ...
References
External links
Curiamanagua.org
{{Nicaragua topics, state=uncollasped
Roman Catholic cathedrals in Nicaragua
Buildings and structures in Managua
Roman Catholic churches completed in 1993
Tourist attractions in Managua
Ricardo Legorreta buildings
20th-century Roman Catholic church buildings in Nicaragua