The First Cathedral in the Americas

On Hispaniola, near where Christopher Columbus is thought to have first dropped anchor, the
 Cathedral of Santa Maria la Menor sits as prominently today as it did over 500 years ago.  In 1512,
  in what is today Santo Domingo in the Dominican Republic, Columbus' eldest son, Diego Colon,
  set the first cornerstone as construction began on the first and now oldest cathedral in the Americas.

The cathedral today is as it was over five centuries ago.  Its' sculpted façade, original altar, 

nave, chapels and artifacts maintain their spiritual significance as the historic cathedral 

serves parishioners with an active calendar and a daily celebration of mass.

The cathedral stands as a spiritual landmark and as a reminder to all of Columbus'
 role in shaping the world in which we live.  

The gold-tinted coral limestone structure features hand sculpted religious figures and a double-arched

main entry with the original mahogany doors that unlock with a five centuries old key.

The cathedral's north face opens onto the expansive Plaza de Colon on which a bronze statue of Christopher Columbus pays tribute to the visionary explorer who helped link Europe with the New World.

There is beauty in the cathedral's unpretentious interior where the original altar, columns, 
 paintings and artifacts serve parishioners' spirituality today as they did so many centuries ago.