Catedral de San Juan Bautista

The first cathedral here was a wooden building begun in 1513; its Gothic successor was completed in the second half of the sixteenth century, and after an earthquake in 1787 it was rebuilt from 1802 in its present form, which is why a Gothic vaulted ceiling and a circular staircase from the sixteenth century sit inside a largely nineteenth-century shell. It is the second oldest cathedral in the Americas after Santo Domingo. Juan Ponce de León, who colonised the island and later died in Florida, lies in a marble tomb near the transept, moved here in 1913. In a glass case rests what is presented as the body of Saint Pio, a Roman martyr, brought from the catacombs in 1862 and dressed in wax.

History

A wooden cathedral was built here from 1513 for the first diocese in the Americas, founded in 1511, and its Gothic successor was completed in the second half of the 16th century. After an earthquake in 1787 it was rebuilt from 1802, Pope Paul VI made it a minor basilica on 25 January 1978, and Pope John Paul II visited in 1984 (Wikipedia, Cathedral of San Juan, Puerto Rico).

What's there

• The tomb of Ponce de León - white marble, near the transept.
• The Gothic ceiling and staircase - the surviving sixteenth-century fabric.
• Saint Pio - the Roman catacomb martyr in a glass case.
• The facade on Calle del Cristo - one of the old city's set pieces.

When to go

December to April is the cooler season, and the cathedral is a welcome cool interior at any time of year. It closes during services and on some weekday afternoons, and cruise days fill it. Early morning is calmest.

Good to know

Repeated destruction and rebuilding means very little of the original church survives, and visitors expecting a sixteenth-century interior will find mostly nineteenth-century work. It is small and takes half an hour. Dress codes are enforced at the door.

Nearby

Calle del Cristo, the Cristo Chapel and Casa Blanca are all a short walk.

Key facts