Our Lady of Candelaria Cathedral, () also called Camagüey Cathedral, is a Roman Catholic cathedral and

minor basilica Basilicas are Catholic church buildings that have a designation, conferring special privileges, given by the Pope. Basilicas are distinguished for ceremonial purposes from other churches. The building need not be a basilica in the architectura ...

in Camagüey, Cuba, located in Ignacio Agramonte Park.

History

The building was built in the early eighteenth century, but has been rebuilt several times. The completion of the facade is the result of work done in 1864. After

Pope John Paul II Pope John Paul II (born Karol Józef Wojtyła; 18 May 19202 April 2005) was head of the Catholic Church and sovereign of the Vatican City State from 16 October 1978 until Death and funeral of Pope John Paul II, his death in 2005. In his you ...

visited Cuba in 1998, several donations for the restoration of the cathedral were performed, which today is in very good condition. The church is dedicated to the patron saint of the city, the

Virgen de la Candelaria The Virgin of Candelaria or Our Lady of Candelaria ( or ''Nuestra Señora de la Candelaria'') (), popularly called ''La Morenita'', celebrates the Virgin Mary on the island of Tenerife, one of the Canary Islands (Spain). The center of worship is l ...

. The most striking feature is the huge bell tower, topped with a statue of Christ. The temple follows the Roman or Latin rite and is the seat of the Metropolitan Archdiocese of Camagüey (Archidioecesis Camagueyensis) which was raised to its current status in 1998 by the bull ''"Maiori spirituali"''. The cathedral is part of the historic center of Camagüey, a

UNESCO The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO ) is a List of specialized agencies of the United Nations, specialized agency of the United Nations (UN) with the aim of promoting world peace and International secur ...

World Heritage Site World Heritage Sites are landmarks and areas with legal protection under an treaty, international treaty administered by UNESCO for having cultural, historical, or scientific significance. The sites are judged to contain "cultural and natural ...

since 2008. In January 2014

Pope Francis Pope Francis (born Jorge Mario Bergoglio; 17 December 1936 – 21 April 2025) was head of the Catholic Church and sovereign of the Vatican City State from 13 March 2013 until Death and funeral of Pope Francis, his death in 2025. He was the fi ...

also conferred on it the title of

References

External links

{{DEFAULTSORT:Our Lady of Candelaria Cathedral, Church Roman Catholic cathedrals in Cuba Buildings and structures in Camagüey Basilica churches in Cuba 19th-century Roman Catholic church buildings in Cuba

History

See also

References

External links