São Paulo Cathedral

상파울루 대성당

The Sao Paulo Cathedral, also called the Catedral da Se, is the main Catholic church of Sao Paulo, Brazil. It stands on Praca da Se in the middle of the city, and its two tall spires, about 92 metres high, are visible far across the downtown skyline.

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At a glance

Country: Brazil
Location: São Paulo, Brazil
Built: 1954
Height: 92 m
Type: Religious building

Quick answers

Where is São Paulo Cathedral?

São Paulo Cathedral is in São Paulo, Brazil.

When was São Paulo Cathedral built?

São Paulo Cathedral was built in 1954.

How tall is São Paulo Cathedral?

São Paulo Cathedral is about 92 m tall.

A neo-Gothic cathedral on Praça da Sé, pairing twin 92 m spires with a Renaissance-style green dome.

It was built in a Gothic Revival style, but it has a green dome inspired by the Renaissance dome of the cathedral of Florence. Work began in 1913 and the church was opened in 1954, just in time for the city's 400th birthday. The towers took until 1967 to finish. It is the largest Catholic church in the city and can hold about 8,000 people.

A church built in 40 years

The cathedral stands where older churches once stood. A first church on the site was finished around 1616, and a Baroque church replaced it around 1764, after Sao Paulo became a diocese in 1745. That one was torn down in 1911 to make room for the new building. German architect Maximilian Emil Hehl designed the present cathedral, and construction began in 1913 under the first archbishop of Sao Paulo, Duarte Leopoldo e Silva. It was inaugurated in 1954 with the towers still unfinished.

Look and size

The cathedral is 111 metres long and 46 metres wide, built on a Latin cross plan with a five-aisled nave. Its dome rises 30 metres over the crossing. More than 800 tons of rare marble were used, and inside, the capitals are carved with Brazilian plants and animals such as coffee branches, pineapples and armadillos.

Organ, bells and crypt

The 1954 organ is one of the largest in Latin America, with five keyboards and about 12,000 pipes. The east tower holds a carillon of 61 bells installed in 1959, the largest and heaviest in Central and South America. Below the altar is a huge crypt like an underground church, with the tombs of the city's bishops, as well as the chief Tibirica, who welcomed the first Jesuits and made the founding of Sao Paulo possible. A restoration from 2000 to 2002 completed many pinnacles using the original 1912 plans.

Fun facts

The original 1912 building plans were found inside the cathedral and used for its restoration.
Some people call it the fourth largest neo-Gothic cathedral in the world.
The towers were finished in 1967, long after the church opened.
Its organ has about 12,000 pipes.