Catedral de Santiago

Catedral de Santiago, Antigua Guatemala - founded in 1542	Catedral de Santiago - Cathedral of St. James, Antigua Guatemala	The Cathedral was severely damaged in the 1773 earthquake and was later only partially rebuilt as a parish church	Baroque façade of the Catedral de Santiago, Antigua Guatemala
Coat-of-Arms on the Catedral de Santiago	Façade sculpture, Catedral de Santiago	Façade sculpture, Catedral de Santiago	Façade sculpture, Catedral de Santiago
Façade sculpture, Catedral de Santiago	Catedral de Santiago, Antigua Guatemala	The Catedral de Santiago is best seen in the late afternoon due to its position on the east side of the Parque Central	Of the vast cathedral, only this small front portion, reoriented north-south, was rebuilt as the Parish Church of San José
Christ carrying the Cross, Parish Church of San José	Figure of Christ Entombed in a glass coffin	Christ Entombed, Parish Church of San José	Parish Church of San José (ex-Cathedral of St. James)
Christ Bearing the Cross, Parish Church of San José	The Crucifixion	The Crucifixion, Catedral de Santiago - Antigua Guatemala	Altar of the Parish Church of San José
The Cathedral was only partially rebuilt 1780-1820 because the capital had moved to the new Guatemala City	The entrance to the cathedral ruins is on the south side off 5a Av Ote	Sculpture on the south side of the Cathedral	Entrance to the ruins of the Cathedral of Santiago
The south side of the Catedral de Santiago with the entrance to the archaeological ruins	The Cathedral was destroyed by earthquake in 1717, 1751, and finally in 1773	The history of the Cathedral started in 1545, just 2 years after the city's founding	Plan of the original Catedral de Santiago with the restored Iglesia de San José shown in red
Fifty domes aligned 5 across once formed the three aisles and side chapels	Looking up through an elliptical opening at blue sky	Inside the ruins of the Cathedral of Santiago, Antigua Guatemala	Some of the former decoration has survived the centuries giving a hint at the cathedral's former grandeur
A statue which managed to remain in position during the earthquake	Massive pieces of brick and masonry collapsed into the aisles	High relief of an angel waving incense	Not all of the domes collapsed
Dome with the coat-of-arms of Castille y León	A second dome with a coat-of-arms which survived the 1773 earthquake	Side aisle, Cathedral of Santiago	Pendentive with a surviving relief of an angel
The former high altar of the Cathedral of Santiago	The main asile, once covered by up to 10 domes is now open to the sky	The crypt below the main altar, Cathedral of Santiago	Darkened crucifixion group in the surviving crypt of the Cathedral of Santiago
Engraved stone dated MCMLX (1960) in the cathedral crypt	St. John the Evangelist looking down from his perch	Pendentives are structures which support round domes over square spaces	Pendentive of the Cathedral of Santiago with a high relief carving of an angel
Capital of a column supporting an arch in a side aisle	North side aisle, Catedral de Santiago, Antigua Guatemala	Forest of pillars open to the sky, Antigua Guatemala	Some restoration work must have been done to stabilize the ruins
Rectory courtyard on the north side of the Cathedral	Ruins adjacent to the cathedral, Antigua Guatemala	Columns of a tumbled arcade	Circular pattern illuminated on a wall of the ruined cathedral
Looking down the main aisle towards the former altar, Cathedral of Santiago, Antigua	Restored ancillary building on the southeast side of the cathedral, Antigua Guatemala	Restored cathedral façade facing Antigua Guatemala's Parque Central	Western façade of the Catedral de Santiago
Catedral de Santiago from the arcade of the Palacio de los Capitanes Generalles	A horse carriage passes in front of the Cathedral	The Cathedral from Parque Central as evening falls	The Catedral de Santiago illuminated at night, Antigua Guatemala
Model of the Catedral de Santiago at its peak on display at Las Capuchinas