Description

Essentials about the Rio de Janeiro Cathedral in brief

The Rio de Janeiro Cathedral (pt. “Catedral Metropolitana de São Sebastião) is certainly one of the most extraordinary and impressive church buildings in the world. Some love its simple aesthetics and functional design, but for others it is simply a butt-ugly concrete block. Be that as it may, the fact is that the cathedral, dedicated to St. Sebastian, the patron saint of Rio, is the seat of the Roman Catholic Archbishop of Rio de Janeiro.

The architecture of the Rio de Janeiro Cathedral

Built between 1964 and 1979 in the Lapa district, it replaced the Church of Our Lady of Mount Carmel, which has since been known as the “Old Cathedral”. The New Cathedral is the work of architect Edgar de Oliveira da Fonseca, whose designs were inspired by the architecture of the Mayan pyramids in Central America. It has a conical shape with an inner diameter of 96 meters and an outer diameter of 106 meters. With a height of 75 meters, it even towers above the Candelária Church, the tallest church building in Rio de Janeiro up to that time.

The interior of the Rio de Janeiro Cathedral

The interior measures a gigantic 8,000 square meters and can accommodate 5,000 worshippers (the standing room capacity is even 20,000 people). Anyone entering the cathedral is immediately taken in by its modern-spiritual atmosphere. As in a historic Gothic cathedral, one feels “dwarfed” in the modern Rio de Janeiro Cathedral by its dimensions alone. In contrast to a Gothic cathedral, however, the Cathedral of Rio does not “slay” you with hundreds and hundreds of works of art and details, but due to its unbelievable simplicity leaves you the full concentration on the spiritual. Not a single column disturbs the view and not a single decoration distracts you.

All the more spectacular is the only detail in the interior that literally draws the attention of the faithful or visitors upwards: Namely, the four monumental stained glass windows that stretch over 64 meters from floor to ceiling and unite at the apex of the pyramid to form a gigantic glass cross. Depending on the sun’s rays, the colored windows glow with varying intensity and are meant to symbolize God’s descent to earth. A truly sublime architectural effect.

Website

catedral.com.br

Opening hours

Admission fees

Free.

Address

Getting there

By public transport:

Metro lines L1, L2 and L4: Stop Carioca

Bus lines 006, 014, 247 and 386: Stop Rua do Lavradio próximo ao 97-149

Bus lines 104, 247, 265, 349, 384, 385 and 399: Stop Avenida República do Paraguai próximo ao 174-228

Bus lines 006, 014, 201 and 229: Stop Avenida República do Chile próximo ao 223-235

Bus line 2303: Stop Avenida República do Chile próximo ao 232-330

Bus lines 2307 and 2308: Stop Avenida República do Chile próximo ao 222-226

Bus lines 006, 014, 104, 201, 229, 239, 342, 1730D and 4110D: Stop Rua Evaristo da Veiga próximo ao 78

Bus lines 010, 101, 102, 110D, 238, 362, 386, 409, 433, 434, 464, 497, 565D, 775D, 1730D, 1775D, 1910D, 1920D, 2565D and 5721D: Stop Avenida Mem de Sá próximo ao 23

By car:

There is a parking lot on site.