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Address Calle de los Santos de Piedra, Cra. 4, Cartagena, Bolívar, Colombia Similar Iglesia de San Pedro Claver, Plaza de los Coches, Palace of Inquisition, Castillo San Felipe de Barajas, Las Bóvedas | ||
The Cathedral of Cartagena in Colombia, officially the Metropolitan Cathedral Basilica of Saint Catherine of Alexandria (Spanish: Catedral Basílica Metropolitana de Santa Catalina de Alejandría), is located in the historic centre of Cartagena. It is the episcopal see of the Archbishop of Cartagena de Indias, one of the oldest episcopal sees in the Americas. The cathedral is dedicated to Saint Catherine of Alexandria.
The cathedral was designed by master builder Simón González, modelled after basilicas in Andalusia and the Canary Islands. The present tower was designed by French architect Gastón Lelarge, the result of remodelling in the early twentieth century. Construction began in 1577, replacing a humble cathedral of straw and reeds. In 1586, while the church was still under construction, it was attacked by the English privateer Francis Drake, which caused severe damage and delayed its completion. The building was finished in 1612.
The cathedral has a fine doorway and a simply decorated interior. It contains an 18th-century gilded altar, a Carrara marble pulpit and elegant arcades sustaining the central nave.