The city's main Catholic church, finished in 1827, is a significant religious and architectural landmark, where Jorge Bergoglio (now known as Pope Francis) served as Archbishop of Buenos Aires from 1998 to 2013. The grand Catedral Metropolitana (catedralprimadabue.wixsite.com/buenosaires) began as a much more modest construction of adobe and wood walls. Today the cathedral has a 41m-high dome, a mosaic floor and 14 paintings of the Stations of the Cross by Italian artist Francesco Domenighini.
In one of the lateral naves is the mausoleum of General José de San Martín, Argentina's most revered military hero who led the country to independence in 1816. It is permanently guarded by two grenadiers who change every two hours, but sometimes the schedules are not so strict. Outside the cathedral you’ll see a flame keeping his spirit alive.
In the halls located to the left of the central nave, there is the cathedral museum, which has a room dedicated to Pope Francis. Admission to the cathedral is free, but you must pay to visit the museum.
