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The most important building in Manizales is the Manizales Cathedral (Catedral de Manizales). It sits on the south side of Plaza de Bolívar.
History of the Manizales Cathedral
Officially the Cathedral Basilica of Our Lady of the Rosary (Catedral Basílica Metropolitana Nuestra Señora del Rosario de Manizales), it’s the third church on the site. The first church was built of mud, wood, and stone between 1854 and 1869. It measured 64 x 15 meters but proved to be unstable and was demolished in 1886.
Construction on the second church, which was designed by Mariano Sanz de Santa María, began on August 26, 1888. It was completed in 1897 and became the city’s first cathedral in 1900 when Pope Leo XIII created the Diocese of Manizales. The first bishop of Manizales was Gregorio Nacianceno Hoyos Yarza (1849-1921), who served from December 16, 1901, until his death on October 25, 1921.
The church was affected by two fires. The first occurred on July 3, 1925, and was extinguished by locals before causing significant damage. The other fire, on March 20, 1926, however, completely destroyed the building. A replica now stands in the Chipre neighborhood.
After the fires, the city commissioned the School of Fine Arts in Paris (Beaux-Arts de Paris) to hold a contest for the design of current cathedral. The winner was French architect Julien Polti (1877-1953), who submitted a neo-Gothic structure emulating the historical churches of France.
Construction began on February 5, 1928, and was led by Italian engineer Angelo Papio. Unfortunately, work had to stop in the late 1920s due to the Great Depression, and didn’t resume until February 7, 1935. Work was completed on September 29, 1939. The cathedral was elevated to a basilica by Pope Pius XII on December 23, 1951, and the building was declared a national monument in 1984.
Towers of the Manizales Cathedral
The Manizales Cathedral has a tower raising 115 meters into the sky, making it the tallest church in Colombia and the second tallest in South America after the Basilica of the National Vow in Quito, Ecuador. It was also the tallest building in Colombia from 1936 to 1969. The central tower is topped by a statue of Christ on the cross.
The towers on each corner are topped by images of St. John the Baptist, St. Peter Claver, St. Rose of Lima, and St. John Vianney. The originals, created by Italian sculptor Alideo Tazzioli Fontanini, depicted St. Paul, St. Mark, St. Agnes, and St. Francis. They were damaged during an earthquake in 1962 that brought down the St. Francis tower, which was reconstructed between 1989 and 1990.
Nave of the Manizales Cathedral
The Manizales Cathedral covers an area of 2,300 square meters and has a capacity of 5,000 worshippers. It’s on a Greek cross plan inscribed in a square, with a central nave and two aisles. The cathedral is lavishly decorated with Italian marble, fine woodwork, and stained glass windows, and there’s a crypt in the basement.
Doors
The main doors are made of bronze and feature reliefs portraying the history of Manizales. They were designed by Jesuit priest Eduardo Ospina Bernal and cast by Leopoldo del Río Pérez. They weigh 5 tons and were inaugurated on July 14, 1963.
Canopy
The canopy on the main altar stands 14 meters high is one of only two in Colombia. The other can be found at the church in Firavitoba. The canopy was designed in New York by Rambusch and created in the town of Ortisei in the South Tyrol province of northern Italy. It features the images of 64 saints on the 4 columns, each individually carved. It was assembled by Hernando Carvajal and gilded by Manuel Vargas. The canopy, along with the altar, was moved 12 meters forward to its current location on October 24, 1990.
Stained Glass Windows
There are a total of 141 stained glass windows, some comprised of over 300 individual pieces of glass, covering a total of 1,000 square meters. They were created by French, Italian, and Colombian artists.
The large rosette facing Plaza de Bolívar was originally made by Catalan artist Ismael Font in the early 1960s and dedicated to the Holy Trinity. It wasn’t to the liking of the locals, especially the archbishop at the time. After 1968, Spanish artist Mario de Ayala Moya (1933-2011) was commissioned to create a new rosette. It was designed at his workshop in Cali in 1971 and installed in 1982. It’s dedicated to the Virgin of the Rosary and measures approximately 10.81 x 10.89 meters.
Ayala also made the side rosettes representing Redemption and Incarnation. They’re based on designs by Alberto Martorell of the Academy of Fine Arts (Académie des Beaux-Arts) in Paris and Colombian-American artist Leandro Velasco (1933-2023).
Chapels
The chapel to the left of the main entrance is the Baptismal Chapel (Capilla Bautismal). It contains the baptismal font and a few sculptures.
At the end of the left aisle is a chapel with an image of Christ presenting the Holy Communion, while another small chapel sits at the end of the right aisle. Near the door on the right aisle is a painting of the Virgin of Chiquinquirá.
Guided Tours of the Manizales Cathedral
Guided tours of the cathedral are a must when in Manizales. They give you a behind-the-scenes look at the construction as well as a trip to the top of the central tower. Tours are in Spanish and last about 90 minutes. You can purchase tickets at the office on the east side of the building. They cost COP$13,000 for adults and COP$8,000 for kids under 14 (as of April 2025). Tours start on the second floor corridor just outside the elevator.
Construction Details
The tour begins with a short lecture about the construction of the cathedral. The guide goes over unique details of the architecture and briefly talks about the principal architect, engineer, and sculptor. Details about the church bells and stained glass windows are also covered.
Next, you take a quick walk behind the altar to the southwest tower where you watch a short video about the history of the cathedral. The video has English subtitles and mentions previous churches that once stood on the site.
After the video, the guide points out a few important artifacts including an original rendering, the organ from the previous cathedral, and the head of the Jesus statue that once adorned the central tower. You’ll also see one of the original statues created by Tazzioli.
Central Tower
From there, you’ll climb a vertigo-inducing outdoor stairway leading up and around to the central tower. It leads across the roofline to the west side of the cathedral and up a steep staircase to the top of the roof. You’ll then walk across to the central tower. The good thing is the entire path is covered by a cage!
Once inside, you’ll have the opportunity to sit on a glass floor directly above the altar. You then listen to the guide give a few safety instructions before walking up a seemingly endless spiral staircase winding its way to the very top.
The new staircase sits adjacent to the old wooden staircase that thankfully closed to the public in 1977. It’s a very narrow space with small steep steps. I couldn’t imagine what it must’ve been like to walk up in the past!
Polish Corridor
At the very top of the tower is the so-called Polish Corridor (Corredor Polaco), which is 102 meters above ground level. It opened to the public in 1959 but closed in 1977 due to safety issues with the old staircase. After several years of remodeling and the construction of the current staircase, it finally reopened in 2008.
It’s a long way to the top but the 360° views of Manizales are stunning. You have a few minutes to admire the views before the guide calls everyone to walk back down the stairs.
After walking back down the spiral staircase to the bottom of the central tower, you make your way along the east side of the building to the ground floor to end the tour.
