Catedral Metropolitana de Manaus, Neoclassical cathedral in central Manaus, Brazil

The Catedral Metropolitana de Manaus faces Praça XV de Novembro on a small rise above the Porto de Manaus. Its white facade is divided by tall orange pilasters, with a central pediment and cross flanked by two bell towers, each holding bells in arched openings beneath a domed cupola and small cross. Arched windows sit above arched doorways framed in orange, and the side wall repeats the arched windows.

The first church on this site was a straw-roofed wattle-and-daub chapel built by Carmelite missionaries in 1695 beside the Forte de São José da Barra do Rio Negro. Lobo d'Almada rebuilt it in 1791, but a fire of unexplained cause reduced the matriz to ashes on 2 July 1850. The present building was inaugurated in 1877, with six bells cast in Portugal installed in 1875; the diocese was created in 1892 and the church became a cathedral in 1946.

The cathedral is dedicated to Our Lady of the Conception, a devotion brought by Carmelite missionaries who built the first chapel here in 1695. The image of the patroness is central to local Catholic practice, and the church keeps the role of mother church of Manaus within the Archdiocese of Manaus.

The cathedral stands on a slight rise on Praça XV de Novembro in the historic centre, facing the Porto de Manaus. The facade faces the square, so approach on foot from the surrounding streets. Visits are possible outside mass times; check the parish schedule, as the building is an active parish church.

Three limestone altars were imported directly from Lisbon and placed inside the building as central focal points. Decorative tiles sourced from nearby Parintins add regional character to the ornamental scheme.