Metropolitan Cathedral of Santiago

The Metropolitan Cathedral of Santiago features twin neoclassical towers that rise above the Plaza de Armas. While the current structure dates back to the mid eighteenth century, it sits on the site of several previous churches destroyed by earthquakes. In eighteen sixty-three, a massive fire consumed the nearby Church of the Company, killing over two thousand people. The city responded by shifting the cathedral’s focus toward solemnity, eventually adding the elaborate marble pulpit and altar carved by Italian craftsmen.