St. Lawrence Cathedral, San Lorenzo, Roman Catholic cathedral in San Lorenzo, Paraguay

St. Lawrence Cathedral is a neo-Gothic church in central San Lorenzo, Paraguay, built from plans approved in 1919 and finished in 1968. It and its plazas fill a whole city block bounded by Gaspar Rodríguez de Francia, San Lorenzo, Coronel Romero and Defensores del Chaco avenue. Its clock, made in the 1850s, came from Asunción Cathedral in 1884.

The cathedral was built gradually over several decades during the 20th century, as the city of San Lorenzo itself was growing. In 2000, it became the seat of the newly created Diocese of San Lorenzo.

The cathedral is the seat of the Diocese of San Lorenzo, created by Pope John Paul II's bull Magno perfundimur in 2000. Its patronal feast is celebrated around 10 August, the feast of Saint Lawrence, with Masses and processions in the surrounding plazas. The 1962 film La burrerita de Ypacaraí was shot with the cathedral in view.

The cathedral is in the center of San Lorenzo, within walking distance of the main streets and public transport stops. The building is generally open during Mass times and for religious events, so it is worth checking the schedule before you visit.

The clock on the main facade dates from the 1850s and first rang in Asunción's cathedral on 23 April 1851, installed by the English engineer Henry Godwin with the German Juan Bukmansu. Moved to San Lorenzo in 1884, it stopped in the 1990s and was restarted on 23 August 2009. The cathedral also appears in the 1962 Argentine-Paraguayan film "La burrerita de Ypacaraí".