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San Fernando Cathedral

San Fernando Cathedral
Cathedral of San Fernando.JPG
San Fernando Cathedral is one of the oldest active cathedrals in the United States.
Basic information
Location San Antonio, Texas, USA
Geographic coordinates 29°25′27″N 98°29′39″W / 29.42417°N 98.49417°W / 29.42417; -98.49417Coordinates: 29°25′27″N 98°29′39″W / 29.42417°N 98.49417°W / 29.42417; -98.49417
Affiliation Roman Catholic
Province Archdiocese of San Antonio
Country United States of America
Architectural description
Architect(s) Francois P. Giraud; Dielman,Leo
Architectural style Colonial, Gothic Revival, Other
Groundbreaking 1738
Completed 1868?
Official name: Church of Nuestra Senora de la Candelaria y Guadalupe
Designated February 25, 1975
Reference no. 75001949
Governing Body Private

San Fernando Cathedral (also called the Cathedral of Our Lady of Candelaria and Guadalupe) is a cathedral of the Roman Catholic Church located in downtown San Antonio, Texas, USA, facing the city's Main Plaza. It is the mother church of the Archdiocese of San Antonio and the seat of its archbishop. Its dome serves as the city of San Antonio's cultural and geographical center. The cathedral is also known as the Church of Nuestra Señora de la Candelaria y Guadalupe and is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. It is notable as one of the oldest cathedrals in the United States.

The original church of San Fernando was built between 1738 and 1750. The walls of that church today form the sanctuary of the cathedral, which gives rise to its claim as the oldest cathedral in the State of Texas. The church was named for Ferdinand III of Castile, who ruled in the 13th century. The baptismal font, believed to be a gift from Charles III, who became King of Spain from 1759, is the oldest piece of liturgical furnishing in the cathedral. The cathedral was built by settlers from the Canary Islands, for this reason the interior is a picture of the Virgin of Candelaria, the patroness of the Canary Islands.

In 1831, Jim Bowie married Ursula de Veramendi in San Fernando.

In 1836, the cathedral, still a parish church, played a role in the Battle of the Alamo when Mexican General Antonio López de Santa Anna hoisted a flag of "no quarter" from the church's tower, marking the beginning of the siege.


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