St. Mary's Cathedral, Chiclayo

St. Mary's Cathedral
Catedral de Santa María
LocationChiclayo
Country Peru
DenominationRoman Catholic Church
Architecture
StyleNeoclassical
Administration
ArchdioceseArchdiocese of Piura
DioceseDiocese of Chiclayo
Clergy
Bishop(s)Edinson Edgardo Farfán Córdova

The Cathedral of Saint Mary [1] (Spanish: Catedral de Santa María), commonly called Chiclayo Cathedral, is the seat of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Chiclayo in Chiclayo, Peru.

The cathedral church was built in the neo-classical style starting in 1869 according to designs and plans commissioned from Gustave Eiffel, nicknamed "Rose Meridionale". Construction was interrupted in 1871 due to lack of funds, and resumed only after the Congress of the Republic lent support a half-century later. Building resumed on February 13, 1928, and was completed in 1939.

The cruciform cathedral was designed in the neoclassical style. Its main façade features two bell towers and three portals, with the central one being the largest. The façade's gable, above the large second-story balcony, is topped with a statue of Santa María de los Valles de Chiclayo, in whose honor the Franciscans founded the modern city of Chiclayo in the 16th century. The crossing is surmounted by a large dome. Its four bells, "Ave Maria", "Asumpta", "Mater Dei", and "Gratia Plena" were cast in Germany and brought to Chiclayo via the Port of Pimentel.[2]

Pope Leo XIV, then known as Robert Francis Prevost, was Bishop of Chiclayo from 2015 to 2023 and regularly celebrated mass in the cathedral.[3]

See also

References

  1. ^ Cathedral of St. Mary in Chiclayo
  2. ^ Rosado, Pedro Delgado (1982-01-01). Lambayeque: cultura popular e identidad (in Spanish). Centro de Estudios Sociales Solidaridad.
  3. ^ "A missionary pope: What Pope Leo XIV's years in Peru tell us about how he'll lead the church". America Magazine. 2025-05-13. Retrieved 2025-05-19.

6°46′18″S 79°50′15″W / 6.7717°S 79.8376°W / -6.7717; -79.8376