Cathedral Basilica of Our Lady of the Assumption, Popayán, Neoclassical cathedral and basilica in Popayán, Colombia.
The Cathedral Basilica of Our Lady of the Assumption stands on the west side of Caldas Park in Popayán's historic center. It is the seat of the Archbishop of Popayán and a minor basilica, built in Neoclassical style after earlier churches on the site were damaged by earthquakes. The interior holds religious artworks and decorated altars.
The first cathedral was a thatched church begun in 1558 under Bishop Juan del Valle. A second cathedral was started on Caldas Park on 17 December 1594, when Bishop Diego Domingo de Ulloa laid the first stone and a silver plaque inscribed in Latin. Its tower, built in 1682 with 96,000 bricks and paid for by Bishop Bernardo de Quiroz, was called "the nose of Popayán" by poet Guillermo Valencia. The 1736 earthquake destroyed the dome, and the building was demolished after 1785.
The cathedral is dedicated to Our Lady of the Assumption, whose feast is celebrated on 15 August according to the liturgical calendar. The building is the seat of the archbishop of Popayán and of the Metropolitan Chapter, and it is a minor basilica, a title granted by Pope Pius XII on 25 April 1953.
Visitors can attend daily services and find information about hours at the parish office located on site. The building is easy to reach on foot and sits in the heart of the old town.
The second cathedral on this site, begun in 1594, had a bell tower built in 1682 with 96,000 bricks; poet Guillermo Valencia called it "the nose of Popayán". The 1736 earthquake destroyed every church in the city except La Ermita and toppled the tower's dome, leaving it at two bodies.
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