Rio de Janeiro Cathedral - Brasil

Rio de Janeiro Cathedral exterior Inside the Cathedral

The Cathedral of Rio de Janeiro (Portuguese: Catedral Metropolitana do Rio de Janeiro or Catedral de São Sebastião do Rio de Janeiro), is the seat of the archbishop of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. It is dedicated to Saint Sebastian, the patron saint of Rio de Janeiro. Designed by Edgar Fonceca, the current church was built between 1964 and 1979 and replaced a series of old churches that had served as cathedrals since 1676. It is located in the center of the city. Conical in form and with a 96 metres (315 ft) internal diameter and an overall height of 75 metres (246 ft), it has a standing-room capacity of 20,000 people.

The cathedral's four rectilinear stained glass windows soar 64 metres (210 ft) from floor to ceiling.

Contents

Holy Sebastian

Sebastian was a Christian saint, a Roman Guard soldier who refused to serve the Emperor Diocletian, and was sentenced to death. Sebastian was tied to a tree, then fired upon by arrows. Irene, a senior officer's widow, arrived in the night to bury Sebastian, but she discovered that he was still alive. Later, Sebastian criticized the emperor and was clubbed to death. Another pious woman buried him at the entrance to a catacomb.