Description of the attraction
The Cathedral of St. Michael the Archangel is located in Tegucigalpa, the capital of the Republic of Honduras. In 1746, a fire consumed the main temple dedicated to the patron saint of the city. In this regard, the bishop of Honduras, Diego Rodriguez de Rivas and Velasco, at that time an apostolic hierarch in the city of Comayagua, in 1756 issued an order to build a new temple on the site of the burnt one.
The parish of St. Michael the Archangel was founded in 1763, the cathedral began to be built in 1765-1786. The work was supervised by the architect Jose Gregorio Nacianseno Cuuroz, of Guatemalan origin. The Baroque cathedral was consecrated and opened by Fray Antonio de San Miguel in 1782. The building is about 60 meters long, 11 meters wide and 18 meters high, with a vaulted nave and domes reaching 30 meters in height.
In 1788, the artist Jose Miguel Gomez, a college graduate in Comayagua, painted frescoes in the cathedral. His brushes include the paintings "Sagrada Familia", "Holy Trinity", "San Juan de Colazan", "The Last Supper" and "Four Evangelists", which became the decoration of the vault. The main altar is decorated with silver, there is also a beautiful sculpture of the Archangel Michael, and at the back of the cathedral there is a courtyard with an altar in honor of the Virgin Mary of Lourdes.
An earthquake in 1823 severely damaged the temple, for which reason it was closed for renovation for six years. In 1934, Honduran artist Victoria Fortin Teresa Franco worked with maestro Alejandro del Vecchio on the decoration and restoration of the interior of Tegucigalpa Cathedral.
The Cathedral of San Miguel de Tegucigalpa is one of the oldest and most important buildings in the city, although it has not survived to this day in good condition. The building occupies a significant place in the history of Honduras. The temple contains the burials of prominent personalities in the history of Honduras. The last shelter was found here: Simon José Zelaya Presbyter Zepeda (the builder of the cathedral), Priest Jose Trinidad Reyes, Jose Santos Guardiola (President of the State of Honduras), General Manuel Bonilla (President of the Republic of Honduras), as well as Bishop Jose Maria Martinez and Cabanas, the first Metropolitan of Tegucig …
The cathedral was declared a national monument in July 1967.
