On the Plaza de Bolívar, in Bogotá, Colombia, the present cathedral is the fourth church raised on this site since the founding of the city in 1538. The three earlier ones fell to structural problems over the colonial centuries. The Neoclassical building seen today was built between 11 February 1807 and 19 April 1823, to a design by the Spanish Capuchin friar Domingo de Petrés, who had reached Santafé de Bogotá in 1792. Petrés died in 1811, before the work was finished, and the architect Nicolás León completed it. In the Chapel of Saint Elizabeth of Hungary, patroness of Bogotá, lies the tomb of the conquistador Gonzalo Jiménez de Quesada, who founded the city in 1538 and died in 1579. His remains, first buried in the convent of Santo Domingo, were moved to Santafé de Bogotá in 1597 and finally laid in the present tomb on 5 August 1938, during the celebrations for the fourth centenary of the city. The monument, carved by Luis Alberto Acuña, bears the inscription Quesada asked for in his will, «Expecto Resurrectionem Mortuorum», «I await the resurrection of the dead». The building covers about 5,300 square metres, with two towers some 52 metres tall, and holds twelve side chapels, a restored pipe organ with about 4,500 pipes, among the largest in Colombia, and colonial paintings, including works attributed to the painter Gregorio Vásquez de Arce y Ceballos. The cathedral is the seat of the Archdiocese of Bogotá, whose archbishop has held the title of Primate of Colombia since 1902, and was declared a national monument in 1975, looking onto the Plaza de Bolívar beside the buildings of the Colombian government.
About the Primatial Cathedral of Bogotá
On the Plaza de Bolívar in Bogotá, Colombia, the present cathedral is the fourth church built on this site since the city’s founding in 1538; the three earlier structures were lost to structural problems over the colonial centuries. The Neoclassical building visible today was constructed between 11 February 1807 and 19 April 1823, designed by the Spanish Capuchin friar Domingo de Petrés, who had arrived in Santafé de Bogotá in 1792; Petrés died in 1811 before construction was complete, and the architect Nicolás León finished the remaining work. In the Chapel of Saint Elizabeth of Hungary, Bogotá’s patron saint, lies the tomb of the conquistador Gonzalo Jiménez de Quesada, who founded the city in 1538 and died in 1579; his remains, initially buried at the Santo Domingo convent, were transferred to Santafé de Bogotá in 1597 and finally placed in their present tomb on 5 August 1938, during celebrations marking the city’s fourth centenary, with the monument, sculpted by Luis Alberto Acuña, bearing the Latin epitaph Quesada himself requested in his will, “Expecto Resurrectionem Mortuorum” — “I await the resurrection of the dead.” The building covers roughly 5,300 square metres, with two towers about 52 metres tall, and holds twelve side chapels, a restored pipe organ with some 4,500 pipes, among the largest in Colombia, and colonial-era paintings, including works attributed to the painter Gregorio Vásquez de Arce y Ceballos. The cathedral serves as the seat of the Archdiocese of Bogotá, whose archbishop has held the title of Primate of Colombia since 1902, and was declared a national monument in 1975, facing the Plaza de Bolívar alongside Colombia’s principal government buildings.
Key facts
- 1538: the site’s first church, founded alongside the city itself.
- 1807-1823: construction of the current, fourth building, designed by Domingo de Petrés.
- Tomb of Gonzalo Jiménez de Quesada, Bogotá’s founder, placed here in 1938.
- ~5,300 square metres, two towers roughly 52 metres tall.
- ~4,500-pipe organ, among the largest in Colombia.
- 1975: declared a Colombian national monument.
History
The Primatial Cathedral of Bogotá’s status as the fourth church raised on this site since the city’s 1538 founding reflects the recurring structural challenges faced by colonial-era religious buildings, resolved definitively only with Domingo de Petrés’s Neoclassical design in the early 19th century. The long, multi-stage journey of Gonzalo Jiménez de Quesada’s remains, from their initial 1579 burial through several relocations before finally reaching the cathedral in 1938, mirrors Colombia’s own evolving relationship with its colonial-era founding figures across nearly four centuries.
What you see
Domingo de Petrés’s Neoclassical facade, completed by Nicolás León in 1823, rises with twin towers roughly 52 metres tall above the Plaza de Bolívar, framing an interior of twelve side chapels and a large restored pipe organ. The Chapel of Saint Elizabeth of Hungary houses the sculpted tomb of Gonzalo Jiménez de Quesada, while colonial-era paintings, including works attributed to Gregorio Vásquez de Arce y Ceballos, line the cathedral’s interior.
Practical information
- Opening hours: generally open daily with seasonal variation; free admission; check current hours before visiting.
- Address: Plaza de Bolívar, La Candelaria, Bogotá, Colombia.
Getting there
The Primatial Cathedral of Bogotá stands on the Plaza de Bolívar in the historic La Candelaria district, easily reached on foot within central Bogotá. GPS: 4.5981° N, 74.0753° W.
Nearby
- Capitolio Nacional — Colombia’s Congress building, on the same square.
- Palacio de Justicia — the national justice palace, nearby.
- La Candelaria — Bogotá’s historic colonial-era district, surrounding the cathedral.
Sources
- Wikipedia — “Primatial Cathedral of Bogotá” (en.wikipedia.org).
- Wikipedia (Spanish) — “Catedral primada de Colombia” (es.wikipedia.org).
- El Espectador — “Expectamus Resurrectionem Mortuorum: los sepulcros del fundador de Bogotá” (elespectador.com).
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