Cathedral of San Carlos Borromeo, Catholic cathedral in Monterey, US.

The Cathedral of San Carlos Borromeo, also called the Royal Presidio Chapel, is a sandstone church on Church Street in Monterey. Its white stucco facade has a bell tower with arched openings on the left and a curved gable on the right, each topped by a stone cross. Inside, dark wooden beams with red and yellow trim support a pale blue paneled ceiling above red tile flooring and wooden pews.

The cathedral was established in 1770 and represents the oldest continuously operating parish church in California. It also marks the first stone structure constructed during the colonial period in the region.

The name Royal Presidio Chapel dates from 1777, when Monterey became the capital of the Province of Californias. In 1840 the chapel was rededicated to Saint Charles Borromeo. Future president Herbert Hoover married Lou Henry on February 10, 1899, in the Henry home, with Father Ramon Mestres of the chapel officiating under special dispensation, as no Protestant minister was in town.

The cathedral stands at 550 Church Street, a short walk from the rest of downtown Monterey and the Presidio. A garden surrounds the gated church, with a path that leads all the way round to San Carlos School and the rectory. The Junipero Oak, a California landmark, stands at the rear of the building.

The statue of Our Lady of Guadalupe stands in the niche at the very top of the facade, not at ground level; it is the oldest non-indigenous sculpture in California. The sandstone church was completed in 1794 by master mason Manuel Ruiz of Spain with Indian labor.