The ''Catedral de Santa Clara de Asís'' (''Cathedral of
Saint Clare of Assisi
Chiara Offreduccio (16 July 1194 – 11 August 1253), known as Clare of Assisi (sometimes spelled ''Clara'', ''Clair'' or ''Claire''; ), is an Italian saint who was one of the first followers of Francis of Assisi.
Inspired by the teachings of ...
'') is a
Roman Catholic
The Catholic Church (), also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with 1.27 to 1.41 billion baptized Catholics worldwide as of 2025. It is among the world's oldest and largest international institut ...
cathedral
A cathedral is a church (building), church that contains the of a bishop, thus serving as the central church of a diocese, Annual conferences within Methodism, conference, or episcopate. Churches with the function of "cathedral" are usually s ...
Cuba
Cuba, officially the Republic of Cuba, is an island country, comprising the island of Cuba (largest island), Isla de la Juventud, and List of islands of Cuba, 4,195 islands, islets and cays surrounding the main island. It is located where the ...
. It lies on ''Calle Marta Abreu'', one of the city's main arteries, only two blocks from
Parque Vidal
Parque Vidal (also known by its previous names of Plaza Central and Plaza Mayor) is a park located in the center of Santa Clara, Cuba, covering an entire square block of the city. Due to its surrounding architecture, combining eclectic neo-class ...
The cathedral is the most important religious building in the city. The much argued-about church was built in 1940 after its colonial predecessor in Parque Vidal was demolished in 1923. Neo-Gothic in style, the new cathedral includes a wonderful collection of leaded
stained glass
Stained glass refers to coloured glass as a material or art and architectural works created from it. Although it is traditionally made in flat panels and used as windows, the creations of modern stained glass artists also include three-dimensio ...
windows, the marble "pilón" or holy water basin used for baptisms for most of the city's history (those thereby baptized are called "pilongos"), and the statue of Jesus in the upper front holding a gold
monstrance
A monstrance, also known as an ostensorium (or an ostensory), is a vessel used in Roman Catholic, Old Catholic, High Church Lutheran and Anglican churches for the display on an altar of some object of piety, such as the consecrated Eucharisti ...
. But the most impressive piece of art is the larger-than-life statue of the Virgin Mary inside the structure, locally known as "la Virgen del camino" (Travelers' Virgin). Until the
Cuban Revolution
The Cuban Revolution () was the military and political movement that overthrew the dictatorship of Fulgencio Batista, who had ruled Cuba from 1952 to 1959. The revolution began after the 1952 Cuban coup d'état, in which Batista overthrew ...
, this statue was located on the road to
Havana
Havana (; ) is the capital and largest city of Cuba. The heart of La Habana Province, Havana is the country's main port and commercial center.Santa Clara, a political battle ensued to decide whether to give it to a museum or the church. It was finally granted to the religious authorities.
The construction of the cathedral went through several public controversies. It was a heated electoral issue for ruling mayors in colonial times. Most of them and a number of citizens back in the 1920s were torn between the possibility of keeping the colonial "Iglesia Mayor" (Grand Church, 1738) located in
Parque Vidal
Parque Vidal (also known by its previous names of Plaza Central and Plaza Mayor) is a park located in the center of Santa Clara, Cuba, covering an entire square block of the city. Due to its surrounding architecture, combining eclectic neo-class ...
, or tearing it down in order to make space for a re-designed and bigger plaza and re-locating the cathedral in a nearby location. Some people insisted on keeping the historic building, since it was one of the oldest in the growing city, realizing its importance as heritage. Eventually it was destroyed and two decades later the new one was constructed. Not happy with this action, Church authorities raised a formal complaint versus the city and won, although the church has never received the compensation that was awarded.
Gallery
Image:Catedral SC.jpg, Santa Clara de Asís Cathedral in 1997.
Image:Dibujo de la Catedral de Santa Clara de Asis, Cuba.jpg, Drawing of Santa Clara de Asís front, published in 1933.
Image:La Catedral de Santa Clara de Asis c.1950s.jpg, Historic photo of Santa Clara Cathedral in the 1950s.
Image:Frente de la Catedral de Santa Clara de Asis.jpg, Front detail of Santa Clara de Asís Cathedral.
Image:La Catedral de Santa Clara de Asis -interior.jpg, Interior of Santa Clara de Asís Cathedral.
Image:Panorama vertical hacia el interior y frente de la Catedral Santa Clara de Asis, en Cuba. 2013.jpg, Vertical panorama of Santa Clara de Asís Cathedral.
Image:Vitral sagrado corazon de Jesús, 1950.jpg, One of the stained glass windows inside Santa Clara de Asís Cathedral. The Sacred Heart of Jesus, built in 1950.
Bibliography
"Catedral" (official website). Diócesis de Santa Clara, 2013.
* Cristobal Garcia, Angel - ''El teatro La Caridad''. Colección Escambray, PUBLICIGRAF, 1993.
* Cristobal Garcia, Angel - ''El parque Vidal''. Colección Escambray, PUBLICIGRAF, 1993.