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Cathedral Plaza (Plaza de la Catedral) in the historic city center of Santa Marta, Colombia, dates back to the late 18th century. It contains some of the most beautiful buildings in the city.
Santa Marta Cathedral
The Santa Marta Cathedral (Catedral de Santa Marta) was built between 1766 and 1794. The remains of liberator Simón Bolívar were kept there from December 1830 to November 1842, when they were moved to his birthplace, Caracas, Venezuela.
Inside the entrance to the cathedral are the remains of Rodrigo de Bastidas (1465-1527), founder of Santa Marta. He sailed with Christopher Columbus on his second voyage to the New World in 1493. In 1499, he was the first European to discover Panama and also named the Magdalena River in 1501.
Municipal Town Hall
On the north side of the plaza is a beautiful building built in 1914 as the Municipal Town Hall (Edificio del Consejo Distrital). Other municipal offices are now housed in the building.
Casa Corazza Hermanos
On the northwest side of Cathedral Plaza is the Casa Corazzo Hermanos. It’s a late colonial era house that has since been converted into the Republican style. In 1853, Colombian poet and politician José Eusebio Caro Ibáñez died in the house. In 1884, Gregorio Castañeda Aragón, another Colombian poet and author, was born there.
Episcopal Palace
On the southwest side of the plaza is the Episcopal Palace (Palacio Episcopal), built in 1745. It was the home of the bishop of Santa Marta and has also served as the governor’s house as well as a private residence.
Casa Campo Serrano
On the south side of the plaza is Casa Campo Serrano. It’s quite run down and needs a lot of work, but it’s still a fantastic building. Built in the second half of the 18th century, it was the birthplace of José María Campo Serrano, the only native of Santa Marta to ever serve as Colombia’s president (1886-87). It currently holds the offices for the country’s national park service.
Casa de Madame Augustine
Finally, on the southwest corner of the plaza is the Casa de Madame Augustine. It’s older than the Santa Marta Cathedral and is very important to the city architecturally. The building is named after Joseline Henríquez (aka Madame Augustine), the French wife of a Swiss entrepreneur, Marcelo Mathieu, who settled in Santa Marta and purchased the house in 1825.
