São Paulo Cathedral

The São Paulo Metropolitan Cathedral, also known as the See Cathedral, is the largest Catholic church in the city. It stands in Praça da Sé, a central square. The building is neo-Gothic in style, with a Renaissance-inspired dome, and can hold 8,000 people. Its construction began in 1913 and was dedicated in 1954, the 400th anniversary of São Paulo's founding.

Don't miss

• The crypt, an underground church with marble sculptures of Job and St Jerome, holds tombs of all bishops and archbishops of São Paulo, including bronze tombs of regent Father Diogo Feijó and cacique Tibiriçá.
• The organ, built in 1954 by Balbiani Vegezzi-Bossi, is one of the largest in Latin America, with 12,000 pipes and hand-engraved Gothic-style reliefs.
• The east tower contains a carillon of 61 bells, the largest and heaviest in Central and South America, cast in the Netherlands and installed in 1959.
• Inner capitals are decorated with sculpted Brazilian produce like coffee branches and pineapples, and native animals such as armadillos.
• The dome, reaching 30 meters over the crossing, is inspired by the Renaissance dome of Florence Cathedral.
• More than 800 tons of rare marble were used in the cathedral's completion.

Tickets & tours

Ways to visit São Paulo Cathedral

Cheapest way inFree Walking Tour, São Paulo History in the City Center5★ · 43 travelers~3 hoursFree cancellationFrom$2 per personSee dates →Best full daySão Paulo’s Full Day City Tour: Main City Sights – (Shared Group)4.9★ · 1,850 travelers~7 hoursFree cancellationFrom$79 per personSee dates →Private & flexibleWalking Tour São Paulo Center: Historical Process Of The Largest City in Brazil5★ · 24 travelers3-4 hoursFree cancellationFrom$113 per personSee dates →

Getting there

Know before you go

• The cathedral is located in Praça da Sé, a central square in São Paulo.
• The building is 111 meters long, 46 meters wide, and its towers reach 92 meters.

A bit of history

A church on this site was first finished around 1616. São Paulo became a diocese in 1745, and a Baroque cathedral replaced the old church around 1764. That modest cathedral was demolished in 1911. The present neo-Gothic structure was designed by German architect Maximilian Emil Hehl and built under Archbishop Duarte Leopoldo e Silva. Work started in 1913 but proceeded slowly; the cathedral was inaugurated in 1954 with towers still unfinished. The towers were completed in 1967. A complete renovation from 2000 to 2002 used original 1912 plans found inside the building.