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Cathedral of Saint Christopher in Old Havana at Cienaga area - a magnificent baroque building of colonial style, built of hewn stone slabs. Like the whole area around, the cathedral was introduced by UNESCO on the World Heritage List of Humanity. Today the cathedral is one of 11 active Roman Catholic churches of the island. The exceptional beauty of the cathedral and its festive appearance led writer Aleko Carpentier to the poetic image of "music that is frozen in stone." True, the writer himself was a Cuban.

The cathedral was built of coral limestone, mined from the shore by slaves, and, looking closely, you can see the remnants of corals and shells in the walls and columns.

The construction of the cathedral was begun in 1748 ., and its external differences from other temples on the island suggest that it was modeled on the churches of the Jesuits . In 1767 . . Spanish King Carlos III drove the Jesuit order from the Caribbean, so that the cathedral was completed until 1777 g . already without their participation . Sanctification of him as a Catholic Cesky temple occurred in 1789 . . In 1796 the cathedral was named after the patron saint of Havana (before it was called the Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception) . A . in 1878, after moving to the city of the episcopal residence of Santiago de -Cuba, the cathedral received the cathedral status

. Under Bishop Espade the cathedral in Havana was completed finally, and above the altar appeared three frescoes by Italian Giuseppe Perovani . In addition, in the interior of the cathedral you can see the paintings of Murillo and Rubens - alas, only copies, as well as B . Veremei (originals) . Other value in rennego decoration - statue St. Christopher 1632 g . executed sculptor Seville M . . Anduyarom On one of the walls can be seen statue crucified Christ Italian master work Bianchini, which is also the author of several other shrines and sculptures

It was in the cathedral of Havana that Christopher Columbus's ashes were stored for a hundred years, until he was transported to Seville in 1898.

Cathedral Square and the interior of the Cathedral in Havana

The restoration of the cathedral, held in the middle of the 20th century, a little affected zero and its internal filling. In particular, two new bells were installed on the belfries. According to rumors, the bells were cast from a special alloy of bronze, including silver and gold, which made their sound especially gentle. Another subtlety external character associated with the composition of the building material: the cathedral was built from coral limestone quarried from the coastal shelf of the slaves, and, looking closer, you can see the walls and columns of the remains of coral and shells

The two towers of the cathedral on either side of the main facade on. In fact, they are not symmetric. The left tower was already made, as the area was often flooded with rain, and more space was required for free water flow. This is the only example of its kind in the world of Baroque architecture.

Entrance to the Cathedral is free on weekdays, but only until 11:00 or after 14:30. Havana
Havana Cathedral
Havana Cathedral Havana Cathedral
Havana Cathedral at night
Interior, Havana Cathedral Havana Cathedral
Interior, Havana Cathedral
Altar, Havana Cathedral Havana Cathedral
Altar, Havana Cathedral