Description of the attraction
The Metropolitan Cathedral, or the Cathedral of Santa Maria la Antigua, is located in the historic part of Panama City. Its construction lasted more than a hundred years: it began in 1688 and ended in 1796. It is said that the decision to build a Catholic cathedral in the city ravaged by pirates subordinate to Henry Morgan was made to emphasize the strength and power of the Catholic Church, as well as to announce to the townspeople about the revival of the capital of Panama.
During the time elapsed from the beginning to the end of the construction of the cathedral, fashionable trends in architecture have changed. Therefore, the central facade of the temple and its bell tower were erected in different architectural styles, which is noticeable even to a non-specialist. The vault of the cathedral rests on 67 stone and brick pillars. Luxurious stained-glass windows and bronze lamps are considered the decoration of the Cathedral. The main altar was designed during the construction of the Panama Canal by craftsmen who came to the Caribbean from France.
Under the cathedral there is an extensive network of tunnels, through which it was possible in a short time to get to any sacred building of Old Panama. Now walking through the catacombs is impossible, because most of the passages have collapsed.
The two towers flanking the central façade are painted white and decorated with shells from the Las Perlas islands. The bell towers are 36 meters high. You can climb them to enjoy the panorama of the Old Town. The towers differ from each other, as the right bell tower was destroyed during the tremors of 1821. Subsequently, it was rebuilt, but at the same time it was slightly modified.
