Cathedral of Santo Domingo
The Cathedral of Santa María la Menor in the Colonial City of Santo Domingo is dedicated to St. Mary of the Incarnation. It is the first and oldest cathedral in the Americas, begun in 1504 and was completed in 1550. It is the cathedral of the Archbishop of Santo Domingo who has the honorary title of Primate of the Indies because this cathedral was the first diocese and the oldest cathedral established in the New World.
| Cathedral Basilica of Santa María la Menor | |
|---|---|
Front entrance to the Cathedral of Santa María la Menor | |
| Religion | |
| Affiliation | Catholic |
| Province | Archdiocese of Santo Domingo |
| Location | |
| Location | Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic |
| Architecture | |
| Style | Gothic |
| Groundbreaking | 1504 |
| Completed | 1550 |
UNESCO World Heritage Site | |
| Part of | Colonial City of Santo Domingo |
| Criteria | Cultural: (ii), (iv), (vi) |
| Reference | 526 |
| Inscription | 1990 (14th Session) |
| Coordinates | 18°28′22″N 69°53′02″W |
Location of Cathedral of Santo Domingo in the Dominican Republic | |
The cathedral is fronted with a golden-tinted coral limestone façade. The building is Gothic, a notable example of real Gothic architecture outside Europe. There is also a treasury which has an excellent art collection of ancient woodcarvings, furnishings, funerary monuments, silver, and jewelry.
It is located between Calle Arzobispo Merino and Isabel la Católica, next to Columbus Park in the city of Santo Domingo de Guzmán.