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Catedral de San José

The Cathedral of St Joseph, located in the city of Antigua Guatemala, is located in a section of the old Primate Cathedral of Santiago de los Caballeros, which was destroyed by the 1773 Guatemala earthquakes.

The first building was begun in 1545 with rubble brought from the destroyed settlement in the valley of Almolonga. Its construction was hampered by frequent earthquakes. A second sanctuary would be inaugurated in 1680. Cathedral status was obtained in 1743. The first cathedral housed the remains of the conquistador Pedro de Alvarado who had been transferred there at the request of his daughter in 1568, but disappeared following one of the multiple earthquakes that damaged the city over the years.

After the earthquakes of 1773, the Cathedral was moved to Nueva Guatemala de la Asunción (Guatemala City) on November 22, 1779 and the Parish church of El Sagrario, which also worked on the premises, in May 1780. The altarpieces, furniture and instruments of the old cathedral remained on the premises, but in 1783 they were removed and stored in the building of the University of San Carlos, located in front of the cathedral, and in the sacristy of the Parish El Sagrario. The gigantic walls of the building continued in foot; the interior was used as a cemetery.

Main facade of the Cathedral of St Joseph.
The cathedral of Santiago had three constructions; the last of them was consecrated in November 1680 and was the work of master Joseph de Porres.

  • In 1718, after the 1717 Guatemala earthquake (San Miguel earthquakes), Diego de Porres repaired the vaults, the arches, the dome, the second body and the façade.

Entrance through the side door.
Through a side door you enter the ruined main nave.


Main nave.

Main altar.
The main altar stood under a dome, supported by sixteen columns lined with carey and decorated with elaborately worked bronze medallions. On the cornice were placed the image of the Virgin Mary and the twelve Apostles, made of ivory.

  • The altarpieces, furniture and instruments of the old cathedral remained on the premises, but in 1783 they were removed and stored in the building of the University of San Carlos, located in front of the cathedral, and in the sacristy of the Parish El Sagrario.
  • The gigantic walls of the building continued in foot; the interior was used as a cemetery.

Chapel of the Virgin of Help.

  • In the colonial era, it was documented in the books of History that the Virgin of Help (Virgen del Socorro) was the image of the Virgin Mary that the conqueror Pedro de Alvarado had the most devotion in the colonial era.
  • It is documented that this image came with Pedro de Alvarado when he came to conquer Guatemala. Previously it was in the port of Veracruz. And already in the Guatemalan land the first mass was carried out in this newly conquered land. For such reason the Virgin of Help was the image with the most devotion in Antigua Guatemala. To this devotion is attributed the fact that they named her Patroness of the rains for good harvests.
  • In the streets of Antigua Guatemala, at that time, a Procession of Blood (Procesión de Sangre) (penitence or rogative) was carried out, asking the Virgin of Help for the rains so that the harvests were very abundant. After the Virgin left the Church, which was designated as a Cathedral, and visited one of the closed convents of the old kingdom, and after the nuns rejoiced at such a distinguished visit and honored and worshiped her with the song of the Salve, precisely at the days after it rained.

Main altar and main nave.
The main altar is in the foreground, the site with the remains of Pedro de Alvarado is on the left, and the main nave is in the background.

  • The cathedral housed the remains of the conqueror Pedro de Alvarado that had been transferred at the request of his daughter in 1568.
  • They were raised during the 1940s and taken to the Peace Court until 1976, when an earthquake forced them to be stored in the Municipality of Antigua Guatemala, where they remained until December 2007, when they returned to the same niche he had occupied in the Cathedral of Antigua Guatemala.

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Location

Location: 5a Calle Oriente 5, Antigua Guatemala, Guatemala