Cathedral of Salvador
| Cathedral Basilica of Salvador | |
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| Catedral Basílica de Salvador | |
Façade of the Cathedral of Salvador, formerly a Jesuit church
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 Location of the Catedral Basílica de Salvador
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| Basic information | |
| Geographic coordinates | 12°58′22″S 38°30′37″W / 12.972897°S 38.510330°WCoordinates: 12°58′22″S 38°30′37″W / 12.972897°S 38.510330°W |
| Affiliation | Catholic |
| Rite | Roman Rite |
| Municipality | Salvador |
| State | Bahia |
| Country | Brazil |
| Direction of façade | Northwest |
| Designated | 1938 |
| Reference no. | 84 |
The Cathedral Basilica of Salvador (Catedral Basílica de Salvador), officially dedicated to the Transfiguration of Christ and named Primatial Cathedral Basilica of the Transfiguration of the Lord is the seat of the Archbishop of the city of Salvador, in the State of Bahia, in Brazil. The Archbishop of Salvador is also ex officio Primate of Brazil.
The Diocese of São Salvador da Bahia de Todos os Santos, the first in the Portuguese colony of Brazil, was created in 1551, only two years after the foundation of Salvador by nobleman Tomé de Sousa. The first bishop, Pero Fernandes Sardinha, arrived in 1552. A cathedral was built in the centre of Salvador around this time.
In 1676 the city became the seat of an archdiocese. After 1758, when the Jesuit Order was expelled from Brazil, the former Jesuit church of Salvador became the cathedral of the city. The building of the former cathedral was demolished in 1933. A scheme of its foundations can be seen on the pavement of the Praça da Sé (Se Square) in Salvador.
In its origins the present cathedral building was the church of the Jesuit Order of Salvador. The Jesuits arrived in the city still in the 16th century and built a first church and college. In the second half of the 17th century the Jesuits built a new church - the one that exists today - in the Mannerist style then fashionable in Portugal. The façade is very similar to contemporary Portuguese churches like the Jesuit Church of Coimbra.
The façade is made in light Lioz stone brought from Portugal and is flanked by two short bell towers. It has three portals with statues of Jesuit saints, Ignatius of Loyola, Francis Xavier and Francis Borgia. The gable on the upper storey of the façade is flanked by typical Mannerist volutes.
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