Catedral da Sé
The Catedral Metropolitana de São Paulo or Catedral da Sé is the cathedral of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of the city of São Paulo in Brazil . Despite its dome built in the Renaissance style, it is often referred to as the fourth largest neo-Gothic cathedral in the world and stands on Praça da Sé or the cathedral square.
history
The history of the cathedral begins in 1589 with the decision to build a main church in the small town of São Paulo. The church, which stood in the same place as the current cathedral, was not completed until 1616. When São Paulo became the seat of the diocese in 1745 , the church was demolished and replaced by a new church in the baroque style. Completed in 1764, this humble church was the Cathedral of São Paulo until its demolition in 1911.
The current cathedral was built under the first Archbishop of São Paulo, Duarte Leopoldo e Silva. Work began in 1913 on the remains of the demolished cathedral and under the direction of the German architect Maximilian Emil Hehl, who designed a neo-Gothic structure. Work was slow, so that the new cathedral could not be consecrated until 1954 for the 400th anniversary of São Paulo. The two towers, which were not yet completed at the time, were not completed until 1967.
After a long period of decay, the cathedral underwent a complete renovation between 2000 and 2002. In addition, many pointed towers were completed over the nave and over the towers. Since the original construction plans were found inside the church building, a restoration true to the original could be carried out.
building
The cathedral is 110 meters long and an average width of 46 meters. Its central nave is more than 30 meters high and its two towers are 92 meters high. It has a capacity of 8,000 people. Although the building was mainly built in neo-Gothic style, it was given a renaissance-style dome reminiscent of the dome of Santa Maria del Fiore in Florence. More than 800 tons of rare marble were used. The interior has been decorated with Brazilian works of art made from branches of coffee plants, pineapples and armadillos.
crypt
The crypt , which is located below the main altar, is very large and can rightly be considered an underground church. It is designed with sculptures by Francisco Leopoldo e Silva, which describe the story of Job and Hieronymus (Jerome).
In the crypt are the tombs of all the bishops and archbishops of São Paulo, as well as the graves of two historically important personalities: Father Diogo Feijó and Chief Tibiriçá. Feijó was deputy regent during the childhood of Pedro II of Brazil. Tibiriçá was the leader of the Guaianaz in the 16th century, who welcomed the first Jesuits to the Piratininga Plateau and whose help made the foundation of São Paulo possible.
organ
The organ of the cathedral was made in 1954 by the Italian organ builders Balbiani & Rossi and is one of the largest organs in Latin America. It has five manuals , 120 registers and 12,000 pipes .
Individual references and web links
- Restoration of the cathedral in the Folha de São Paulo newspaper (Portuguese)
- Description of the Cathedral (English)
- Description of the cathedral (Portuguese)
Coordinates: 23 ° 33 ′ 4.2 ″ S , 46 ° 38 ′ 3.6 ″ W.