St. Charles Borromeo Cathedral, Matanzas


The Cathedral of St. Charles Borromeo is a Catholic church in Matanzas, Cuba. It is the seat of Manuel Hilario de Céspedes y García Menocal, the Bishop of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Matanzas.

History

On October 12, 1693, the first stone of this church was laid and Mass was held in the place. This mass was celebrated by the Bishop Diego Evelino Hurtado de Compostela. The original church was made of the leaves of the royal palm and was destroyed by a storm. Shortly afterwards construction was begun, finishing the work in 1735 with all its facilities in use by 1750. It used to be a beautiful and elegant church with frescoes on the walls, ceilings and in the big dome, but after years of neglect due to poor funding, the decay today seems irreparable.

Location

The cathedral is in the neighborhood of Matanzas; the section of the city between the two rivers, the Yumuri and San Juan. A half block from the Parque de la Libertad and the Palacio Provincial. It is located on calle Jovellanos, between Milanes and Independence streets.

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