Rio de Janeiro Cathedral

The Metropolitan Cathedral of Saint Sebastian (Portuguese: Catedral Metropolitana de São Sebastião), better known as the Metropolitan Cathedral of Rio de Janeiro (Catedral Metropolitana do Rio de Janeiro) or as the Cathedral of St. Sebastian of Rio de Janeiro (Catedral de São Sebastião do Rio de Janeiro), is a cathedral of the Catholic Church and the seat of the Archdiocese of São Sebastião. The cathedral is home to the cathedra of the Archbishops of the city of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. The church is dedicated to Saint Sebastian, the patron saint of Rio de Janeiro.

Metropolitan Cathedral of Saint Sebastian Catedral Metropolitana de São Sebastião
Rio de Janeiro Cathedral exterior
Religion
Affiliation	Catholic Church
District	Archdiocese of São Sebastião do Rio de Janeiro
Ecclesiastical or organizational status	Cathedral
Location
Location	Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
Geographic coordinates	22°54′39″S 43°10′51″W
Architecture
Architect(s)	Edgar Fonseca
Type	Church
Style	Modernist
Groundbreaking	1964
Completed	1979
Capacity	20,000

Architecture

Inside the Cathedral

The cathedral was designed by Edgar de Oliveira da Fonseca in a modern style based on Mayan architectural style of pyramids. The current cathedral was built between 1964 and 1979 and replaced as seat of the Archdiocese. A series of churches that had served as cathedrals since 1676, the most recent and notable of those being the Church of Our Lady of Mount Carmel of the Ancient See, now known as the Old Cathedral, built in the 18th century, and that had been declared Rio's cathedral in the early 19th century.

The New Cathedral, as it is sometimes called, is located in the center of the city. Conical in form and with a 96 metres (315 ft) internal diameter — 106 metres of external diameter — and an overall height of 75 metres (246 ft). Inside, the area measures 8,000 square meters and sufficient 5,000 seats (it has a standing-room capacity of 20,000 people).

The cathedral's four rectilinear stained glass windows soar 64 metres (210 ft) from floor to ceiling.

Interior panorama of the Cathedral São Sebastião

See also

• Old Cathedral of Rio de Janeiro

External links

• (in Portuguese) Official site