São Paulo Cathedral

Neo-Gothic cathedral at the heart of São Paulo: one of South America's largest churches, rising above the vibrant Praça da Sé.

The Catedral Metropolitana de São Paulo — known simply as Catedral da Sé — rises over Praça da Sé, the historic heart of Brazil's largest city, with its twin towers and neo-Gothic pinnacles. The foundation stone for the current building was laid in 1913, but the cathedral was only consecrated in 1954, during São Paulo's four-hundredth anniversary celebrations. With seating for around 8,000 worshippers and one of the largest pipe-organ installations in South America, it ranks among the world's biggest neo-Gothic cathedrals. Despite a Renaissance dome that hints at a different style, the interior is unmistakably Gothic: soaring pointed arches, vivid stained-glass windows, and an extensive crypt housing the remains of earlier churches on the site. Outside, the square pulses with the full energy of São Paulo's street life.