São Paulo Cathedral
| São Paulo See Metropolitan Cathedral Catedral Metropolitana de São Paulo |
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| Basic information | |
| Location | São Paulo, Brazil |
| Geographic coordinates | 23°33′04″S 46°38′04″W / 23.551168°S 46.634340°WCoordinates: 23°33′04″S 46°38′04″W / 23.551168°S 46.634340°W |
| Affiliation | Roman Catholic |
| Province | Archdiocese of São Paulo |
| Year consecrated | 1954 |
| Status | Active |
| Architectural description | |
| Architect(s) | Maximilian Emil Hehl |
| Architectural style | Neo-Gothic |
| Groundbreaking | 1913 |
| Completed | 1967 |
| Specifications | |
| Length | 111 metres (364 ft) |
| Width (nave) | 46 metres (151 ft) |
| Dome height (outer) | 30 metres (98 ft) |
| Spire height | 92 metres (302 ft) |
The São Paulo See Metropolitan Cathedral --"See" and "cathedra" mean "seat" and therefore the ecclesiastical authority of a bishop or archbishop (Portuguese: Catedral Metropolitana, or Catedral da Sé de São Paulo) is the cathedral of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of São Paulo, Brazil. As of 2013[update] the Metropolitan Archbishop of the archdiocese was Cardinal Odilo Pedro Scherer. Its construction, in Neo-Gothic style, began in 1913 and ended four decades later. It was ready for its dedication on the 400th anniversary of the foundation of the then humble villa of São Paulo by Chief or Cacique Tibiriçá and the Jesuit priests Manuel da Nóbrega and José de Anchieta. Despite having a Renaissance-styled dome, the São Paulo Metropolitan Cathedral is considered by some to be the 4th largest neo-gothic cathedral in the world.
The history of the Cathedral of São Paulo goes back in time to 1589, when it was decided that a main church (the Matriz) would be built in the small village of São Paulo. This church, located on the site of the present cathedral, was only finished around 1616. São Paulo became seat of a diocese in 1745, and the old church was demolished and substituted by a new one, built in Baroque style, which was finished around 1764. This modest church would be the Cathedral of São Paulo until 1911, when it was demolished.
The present cathedral was built under Duarte Leopoldo e Silva, the first archbishop of São Paulo. Construction began in 1913 on the site of the demolished colonial cathedral following the project of German architect Maximilian Emil Hehl, who designed a Neo-Gothic structure. Work proceeded slowly and the inauguration of the new Cathedral happened only in 1954, with the towers still unfinished, but in time for the celebration of São Paulo's Fourth Centenary. The towers would only be completed in 1967.
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