The Metropolitan Cathedral of Medellín, officially the Metropolitan Cathedral Basilica of the Immaculate Conception is a Catholic

cathedral A cathedral is a church that contains the '' cathedra'' () of a bishop, thus serving as the central church of a diocese, conference, or episcopate. Churches with the function of "cathedral" are usually specific to those Christian denomination ...

dedicated to the Virgin Mary under the title of the

Immaculate Conception The Immaculate Conception is the belief that the Virgin Mary was free of original sin from the moment of her conception. It is one of the four Marian dogmas of the Catholic Church, meaning that it is held to be a divinely revealed truth w ...

. It is located in the central zone of the

Medellín Medellín ( or ), officially the Municipality of Medellín ( es, Municipio de Medellín), is the second-largest city in Colombia, after Bogotá, and the capital of the department of Antioquia. It is located in the Aburrá Valley, a central re ...

(Colombia) in the Villanueva neighborhood on the north side of Bolívar Park. Additionally, the temple was formerly called and it is still known but to a lesser extent, as Villaneuva Cathedral, especially during its construction to distinguish it from the

Basilica of Our Lady of Candelaria The Basilica of Our Lady of Candelaria or simply La Candelaria Church, as it is more popularly known, is a Roman Catholic church dedicated to the Virgin Mary under the title of Virgin of Candelaria. It is located in the center of the city of Medell ...

, which was the seat for the

Episcopal see An episcopal see is, in a practical use of the phrase, the area of a bishop's ecclesiastical jurisdiction. Phrases concerning actions occurring within or outside an episcopal see are indicative of the geographical significance of the term, mak ...

at the time.

Overview

The cathedral is the principal church of the

Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Medellin Roman or Romans most often refers to: *Rome, the capital city of Italy *Ancient Rome, Roman civilization from 8th century BC to 5th century AD *Roman people, the people of ancient Rome *''Epistle to the Romans'', shortened to ''Romans'', a letter ...

, home of the

Archbishop In Christian denominations, an archbishop is a bishop of higher rank or office. In most cases, such as the Catholic Church, there are many archbishops who either have jurisdiction over an ecclesiastical province in addition to their own archdi ...

and Metropolitan Chapter. It is also the headquarters of the "Cathedral

Parish A parish is a territorial entity in many Christian denominations, constituting a division within a diocese. A parish is under the pastoral care and clerical jurisdiction of a priest, often termed a parish priest, who might be assisted by one or m ...

". In 1948,

Pope Pius XII Pope Pius XII ( it, Pio XII), born Eugenio Maria Giuseppe Giovanni Pacelli (; 2 March 18769 October 1958), was head of the Catholic Church and sovereign of the Vatican City State from 2 March 1939 until his death in October 1958. Before his e ...

granted the temple the liturgical title of

Minor Basilica In the Catholic Church, a basilica is a designation given by the Pope to a church building. Basilicas are distinguished for ceremonial purposes from other churches. The building need not be a basilica in the architectural sense (a rectangular ...

papal brief A papal brief or breve is a formal document emanating from the Pope, in a somewhat simpler and more modern form than a papal bull. History The introduction of briefs, which occurred at the beginning of the pontificate of Pope Eugene IV (3 Marc ...

on June 12 of that year. The building was designed by French architect Émile Charles Carré (1863-1909), in a Romanesque style, has a Latin cross, has three longitudinal aisles, in turn crossed by the transept or cross-ship, and its two towers are 66 meters in height at the withers. It is also a solid brick structure, since its construction approximately 1,120,000 bricks 8 cubic decimeters each (bound together with mortar) were used, which involve a volume of 97,000 meters cubed. For being one of the major architectural works of the country, it was declared a

National Monument of Colombia The National Monuments of Colombia ( es, Monumentos Nacionales de Colombia) are the set of properties, nature reserves, archaeological sites, historic districts, urban areas and property that, for values of authenticity, originality, aesthetics, ...

on 12 March 1982. It also has a small museum of religious art located in a room adjacent to the basilica, consisting of four rooms that are not open to the public. The collection includes about 40 paintings (from the 17th, 18th and 19th centuries) and 15 sculptures (between the 18th and 19th centuries). The cathedral houses ''The Christ of Forgiveness'' by Colombian artist

Francisco Antonio Cano Cardona Francisco Antonio Cano (November 24, 1865 - May 10, 1935) was a very recognized Colombian painter, sculptor, writer, and engraver from Antioquia, who is famous for his works in which he portrays the cultural identity of the country and region. ...

. Catedral de Medellin- Plano General.svg, Alzado de la fachada principal Catedral de Medellin.svg, Sección longitudinal Catedral de Medellin.png, Seccion transversal Catedral de Medellin.png, Roman Catholic cathedrals in Colombia Buildings and structures in Medellín Tourist attractions in Medellín National Monuments of Colombia Basilica churches in Colombia {{Colombia-church-stub