Travel in Brazil: FORTALEZA (07). Catedral Metropolitana

FORTALEZA (07)
Catedral Metropolitana

Destination Fortaleza, capital of the state of Ceará.
Episode 7: The cathedral in Fortaleza.

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The cathedral at night

Caucaia – Fortaleza

We had spent the afternoon on Caucaia Beach. Eilen and I left the group, we took the bus to the center of Fortaleza. Eilen wanted to visit Mercado Central, the central market, in the center. The bus ride from Caucaia to Fortaleza took almost one hours, we arrived in the center at five-thirty. It took another fifteen minutes, on foot, to the giant cathedral. The Mercado Central is located behind the cathedral. Unfortunately, the cathedral was closed, but I took the opportunity to take some pictures of the impressive building. At day, the church appeared somewhat greyish and badly maintained, with dark stains because of heavy rainfalls. But at night.. the cathedral is enchantingly illuminated.

Catedral Metropolitana

This cathedral is dedicated to São José (St. Joseph), and appears to a historical church. But that is absolutely not true. The cathedral is built on a historical location, where was located the former Igreja da Sé, but was inaugurated in 1978, after a construction period of no less than forty years. The building, according to a design of the French architect George Mounier, is an example of the eclectic architecture style, a style that is seen in many public Brazilian buildings. The eclectic style is a mixture of historical styles. The towers of this cathedral resemble the Gothic style, while the vault resembles the Roman style. The Gothic towers strongly resemble those of the Sé in São Paulo, and the Dom in Cologne. The towers are 75 meters high, the cathedral may host five thousand believers, and is therefore the third largest church in Brazil.

At day, the cathedral apppears a bit
greyish and badly maintained, as if it
was built centuries ago.