Catedral Metropolitana

In San Salvador, El Salvador, the Catedral Metropolitana of the Holy Savior is the cathedral church of the Catholic Archdiocese of San Salvador. It is among the most beautiful historical sites in El Salvador you should visit.

Catedral Metropolitana, the ultimate resting site of slain archbishop Oscar Romero, has a fascinating history hidden behind its towering white exterior. The cathedral, the primary church for the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of San Salvador, was finished and inaugurated in 1999 following years of construction on the previous site of the Temple of Santo Domingo. Before coming, brush up on your history, as the building's dramatic past is only hinted at by the white basic construction. A shooting and following stampede at the cathedral during Archbishop Romero's funeral in 1980 horrified the country. More recently, the then-Archbishop of San Salvador removed the famous and much-loved mural that had decorated its entrance.

The joyful and colorful facade surrounds a shrine to Friar Francisco Silvestre Garca's 1777 sculpture of the Divine Saviour of the World (Jesus, after the Transfiguration, the patron of El Salvador). The main altar contains a picture of the Divine Saviour presented in 1546 by Holy Roman Emperor Charles V. The image is supported by a four-column baldacchino and is surrounded by images of the prophets Moses and Elijah, who appear in the tale of the Transfiguration. The main altar is encircled by eight enormous paintings by Andrés García Ibáñez depicting episodes from Christ's life. Above it all, the 148-foot-tall Churrigueresque cupola with a 79-foot radius looms tall.

Address: C. Ruben Dario, San Salvador, El Salvador