San José Cathedral and the cathedral ruins

The large white facade on the east side of Parque Central belongs to the cathedral of Santiago, which in the 17th century was one of the largest in Central America. The 1773 earthquakes brought down much of the building and, after the capital was moved, it was never fully rebuilt.

Today the front section serves as the San José parish church, still open for worship. Behind it, with an entrance on 5a Calle Oriente, you can walk through the ruins of the old cathedral: columns, fallen arches, domes open to the sky and underground crypts.

Don't miss

• The crypts beneath the ruins.
• The collapsed domes, which reveal the original scale of the church.
• The facade, with its niches and statues of saints.