The Cathedral of the Assumption of Mary, also known as the "Royal and Renowned Basilica Cathedral of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary" (Spanish: ''Real e Insigne Basílica de la Asunción de la Bienaventurada Virgen María''), is a significantly important and historic landmark in León,

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 ...

. The cathedral was awarded

World Heritage Site A World Heritage Site is a landmark or area with legal protection by an international convention administered by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO). World Heritage Sites are designated by UNESCO for h ...

status with the

United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization is a specialized agency of the United Nations (UN) aimed at promoting world peace and security through international cooperation in education, arts, sciences and culture. It ...

(UNESCO). The site's nomination is Nicaragua's third cultural landmark, following the ruins of

León Viejo Ruins of León Viejo is a World Heritage Site in Nicaragua. It was the original location of León. It is the present location of the town of Puerto Momotombo in the Municipality of La Paz Centro of the Department of León. It is administered by ...

and El Güegüense.

Construction

The cathedral's construction lasted between 1747 and 1814 and was consecrated by

Pope Pius IX Pope Pius IX ( it, Pio IX, ''Pio Nono''; born Giovanni Maria Mastai Ferretti; 13 May 1792 – 7 February 1878) was head of the Catholic Church from 1846 to 1878, the longest verified papal reign. He was notable for convoking the First Vatican ...

in 1860. Cathedral has maintained the status of being the largest cathedral in Central America and one of the best known in the Americas due to its distinct architecture and special cultural importance. Leon (Nicaragua), the cathedral (datail)

Leon (Nicaragua), the cathedral (datail)

Architecture

The architectural design was developed in 1762 by the Guatemalan architect Diego José de Porres Esquivel. It blends the

Baroque The Baroque (, ; ) is a style of architecture, music, dance, painting, sculpture, poetry, and other arts that flourished in Europe from the early 17th century until the 1750s. In the territories of the Spanish and Portuguese empires including t ...

and

Neoclassicism Neoclassicism (also spelled Neo-classicism) was a Western cultural movement in the decorative and visual arts, literature, theatre, music, and architecture that drew inspiration from the art and culture of classical antiquity. Neoclassicism was ...

styles with some influences from

Gothic Gothic or Gothics may refer to: People and languages *Goths or Gothic people, the ethnonym of a group of East Germanic tribes **Gothic language, an extinct East Germanic language spoken by the Goths **Crimean Gothic, the Gothic language spoken b ...

Renaissance The Renaissance ( , ) , from , with the same meanings. is a period in European history marking the transition from the Middle Ages to modernity and covering the 15th and 16th centuries, characterized by an effort to revive and surpass ideas ...

and

Mudéjar Mudéjar ( , also , , ca, mudèjar , ; from ar, مدجن, mudajjan, subjugated; tamed; domesticated) refers to the group of Muslims who remained in Iberia in the late medieval period despite the Christian reconquest. It is also a term for ...

styles. Thus the building can be categorized as belonging to the

Eclecticism Eclecticism is a conceptual approach that does not hold rigidly to a single paradigm or set of assumptions, but instead draws upon multiple theories, styles, or ideas to gain complementary insights into a subject, or applies different theories in ...

style. The cathedral has a rectangular plan, of a type general in those centuries and similar to those of the cathedrals of Lima and Cuzco,

Peru , image_flag = Flag of Peru.svg , image_coat = Escudo nacional del Perú.svg , other_symbol = Great Seal of the State , other_symbol_type = Seal (emblem), National seal , national_motto = "Fi ...

. The towers and the facade are mainly Neoclassical. The cathedral has a nave and four aisles, ten arched bays and two towers in the facade, flanking a central round pediment marking the position of the nave. The sacrarium, whose salient breaks the rectangular symmetry of the building on the South side, is located almost parallel to the biggest altar. Their interior is roomy and its columns cruciform; the central nave is divided by columns from the lateral aisles and the structure is finished off over the crossing by a great dome. The facade, elevated on a terrace, combines Baroque show with the neoclassical style. The windows are arched and the two towers have Chinese domes. Due to the robustness of its walls, the cathedral has survived tremors, volcanic eruptions of the

Cerro Negro Cerro Negro is an active volcano in the Cordillera de los Maribios mountain range in Nicaragua, about from the village of Malpaisillo. It is a very new volcano, the youngest in Central America, having first appeared in April 1850. It consist ...

volcano and wars. Catedral de León Nicaragua2

Seven tunnels start under the church and lead to the other churches in the city. The church has seven cellars; they provide stability in the event of earthquakes. One of these cellars leads to the tunnels that make their way to the other churches in the city. Above ground, the church has 34 domes which help provide both ventilation and light; "the building is one of the best naturally illuminated cathedrals in America". People were offered the possibility to be buried below the cathedral, helping to fund the construction and maintenance of the building.

Historical value

The cathedral has the historical value of being the Episcopal first

diocese In Ecclesiastical polity, church governance, a diocese or bishopric is the ecclesiastical district under the jurisdiction of a bishop. History In the later organization of the Roman Empire, the increasingly subdivided Roman province, pro ...

of the Catholic Church in Nicaragua, founded in 1531 and therefore one of the oldest dioceses in America. It is currently the headquarters of the Diócesis of León. Beneath the cathedral, in crypts designed to survive

earthquakes An earthquake (also known as a quake, tremor or temblor) is the shaking of the surface of the Earth resulting from a sudden release of energy in the Earth's lithosphere that creates seismic waves. Earthquakes can range in intensity, from ...

, the mortal remains of 27 people rest, among them 10 bishops, 5 priests, an eminent leader of the independence movement, three poets, a musician, six notables and a slave. Here are buried prominent Nicaraguan people, such as

Miguel Larreynaga Miguel Jerónimo Larreinaga y Silva (April 29, 1771 – April 28, 1847) was a Nicaraguan philosopher, humanist, lawyer and poet. He was one of the people who traveled to Spain in 1818 to ask for independence of the Central American Republic ...

, poets

Rubén Darío Félix Rubén García Sarmiento (January 18, 1867 – February 6, 1916), known as Rubén Darío ( , ), was a Nicaraguan poet who initiated the Spanish-language literary movement known as ''modernismo'' (modernism) that flourished at the end of ...

Salomón de la Selva Salomón de la Selva (March 20, 1893 – February 5, 1959) was a Nicaraguan poet and honorary member of the Mexican Academy of Language. Biography Salomón de la Selva was born on March 20, 1893, in León, Nicaragua, son of Salomón Selva Glenton ...

and

Alfonso Cortés Alfonso Cortés (9 December 1893 – 3 February 1969) was a Nicaraguan poet. He is often referred to as the second-most-important Nicaraguan poet, with Rubén Darío, who initiated the Spanish-American literary movement known as modernismo (moder ...

, the musician

José de la Cruz Mena José de la Cruz Mena (3 May 187422 September 1907) was a Nicaraguan composer. When he was twenty-one years old he contracted leprosy, but continued to compose until his death twelve years later. Mena is considered to have been one of the most pr ...

, doctor Luis H. Debayle, professor Edgardo Buitrago, the first bishop of León and last bishop of all of Nicaragua, Monsignor Simeón Pereira, and Bishop Castellón and the priest Marcelino Areas. The tomb of Darío, father of the Modernist movement in Spanish-language literature and considered ''Prince of Castilian letters'', is to the foot of the

statue A statue is a free-standing sculpture in which the realistic, full-length figures of persons or animals are carved or cast in a durable material such as wood, metal or stone. Typical statues are life-sized or close to life-size; a sculpture t ...

of San Pablo. At the beginning of the 20th century, the Bishop, Monsignor Simón Pereira y Castellón (the same who presided over the funeral of Darío the 13 February 1916) commissioned the Granadan sculptor Jorge Navas Cordonero to make the statue 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 ...

crowning the central pediment of the facade, and the Atlantes between the pediment and the towers. Navas also sculpted the Neoclassical statues of the Twelve Apostles next to the columns of the central nave, the

lion The lion (''Panthera leo'') is a large Felidae, cat of the genus ''Panthera'' native to Africa and India. It has a muscular, broad-chested body; short, rounded head; round ears; and a hairy tuft at the end of its tail. It is sexually dimorphi ...

of Dario's tomb, very similar to the Lion of Lucerne,

Switzerland ). Swiss law does not designate a ''capital'' as such, but the federal parliament and government are installed in Bern, while other federal institutions, such as the federal courts, are in other cities (Bellinzona, Lausanne, Luzern, Neuchâtel ...

(carved by the

Danish Danish may refer to: * Something of, from, or related to the country of Denmark People * A national or citizen of Denmark, also called a "Dane," see Demographics of Denmark * Culture of Denmark * Danish people or Danes, people with a Danish a ...

sculptor

Bertel Thorvaldsen Bertel Thorvaldsen (; 19 November 1770 – 24 March 1844) was a Danes, Danish and Icelanders, Icelandic Sculpture, sculptor medallist, medalist of international fame, who spent most of his life (1797–1838) in Italy. Thorvaldsen was born in ...

, 1770–1844), the sculpture of Christ marking Monsignor Pereira's tomb, and several other decorations inside the Cathedral and its Chapel of the

Sacrarium A piscina is a shallow basin placed near the altar of a church, or else in the vestry or sacristy, used for washing the communion vessels. The sacrarium is the drain itself. Anglicans usually refer to the basin, calling it a piscina. For Roman C ...

. File:Cathedral of León (Nicaragua) in 1852.jpg, alt=Cathedral of León in 1852., Cathedral of León in 1852 File:LeonNicaraguaCathedral1900.jpg, León Cathedral in 1900 File:Léon Cathedral in 1907 (Nicaragua).jpg, alt=Cathedral of León in 1907., Cathedral of León in 1907 File:Cathedral of León (Nicaragua) in 1924.jpg, Cathedral of León in 1924 File:Interior of the Cathedral of León (NIcaragua) in 1927.jpg, Interior of the Cathedral of León (Nicaragua) in 1927 It is also home to a splinter of the original cross upon which Jesus died.

Illustrious figures buried in the Cathedral

Altar in the cathedral of Leon (Nicaragua)

*Bishops: Diego Alvaréz de Osorio, Francisco de Mendavia and Antonio de Valdivieso, the first three bishops of Nicaragua, whose remains were transferred from

on February 26, 2008. Juan Benito Garret y Arlovi, Domingo Antonio Zattarain, José Antonio Flores de Ribero, Juan Carlos Vílchez y Cabrera,

Nicolás García Jerez Nicolás García Jerez (28 January 1757 – 31 July 1825) was a Spanish bishop, who also served as a governor of Nicaragua, and played an important role in Nicaraguan independence. He was appointed Bishop of Nicaragua in 1806, ordained in 1810, a ...

, Simeón Pereira y Castellón, Agustín Nicolás Tigerino y Loáisiga and Cesár Bosco Vivas Robelo. *Priests: José Desiderio de la Quadra, Remigio Casco, Rafael Jerez (brother of the independentist hero Máximo Jerez and the painter Toribio Jerez), Félix Pereira y Castellón and Marcelino Areas. *Independence hero Miguel Larreynaga (1772-1847), rather, his offspring, whose ashes were brought from Guatemala in the 1970s. *The poets:

(1867-1916),

(1893-1959) and

(1893-1969). *The musician José de la Cruz Mena, whose ashes were transferred from the Guadalupe Cemetery on May 3, 1998. *Notable: Alfonso Ayón, Pedro Argüello, mayor of León. Leocadia del Prado Arguello; the wise doctor Luis H. Debayle and his wife Casimira Sacasa; Professor Edgardo Buitrago. *A saint slave, according to Ernesto Cardenal's collection of facts.

World Heritage

View of Cathedral from Roof - Leon - Nicaragua (31548746806)

Due to its great artistic, cultural and historical value, on June 28, 2011, it was elevated by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) to the category of World Heritage Site, being the second in the history of this country.Four new sites inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage List
official UNESCO (28-6-2011) In its statement, UNESCO described the Nicaraguan architectural sight as follows:

The cathedral of León in Nicaragua was built between 1747 and the beginning of the 19th century with designs by the Guatemalan architect Diego José de Porres Esquivel. It expresses the transition from baroque to neoclassical architecture and its style can be considered eclectic. The cathedral is characterized by the sobriety of its interior decoration and the abundance of natural light. The vault of the sanctuary presents a very rich ornamentation. The cathedral has in its interior important works of art, including a
Flemish Flemish (''Vlaams'') is a Low Franconian dialect cluster of the Dutch language. It is sometimes referred to as Flemish Dutch (), Belgian Dutch ( ), or Southern Dutch (). Flemish is native to Flanders, a historical region in northern Belgium; ...
altar and paintings of the 14 stations of the Via Crucis by the Nicaraguan artist Antonio Sarria.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Leon Cathedral (Nicaragua) Roman Catholic churches in León, Nicaragua Roman Catholic churches completed in 1814 1747 establishments in the Spanish Empire World Heritage Sites in Nicaragua Roman Catholic cathedrals in Nicaragua Tourist attractions in Nicaragua Baroque architecture in Nicaragua