DK Travel : San Antonio and Austin : San Fernando Cathedral

San Fernando Cathedral

No one has rated this yet.

Rate it

Review this attraction

Are these details incorrect?

From the city’s earliest days, religious, cultural, and civic events have been held in this grand French Gothic cathedral. Not just a place of worship, San Fernando is today recognized as a symbol of unity for the people of San Antonio. Mexican General Santa Anna (see Antonio López de Santa Anna ) flew the flag of no mercy from its rooftop at the start of the seige of the Alamo, and it is here that the ashes of the defenders of Alamo are purported to lie.
Visit the museum to learn about the story of San Fernando’s transformation from a simple church to a magnificent cathedral. Festivities during Holy Week include the Passion Play, special processions, and masses. The Sunday before Christmas features the centuries-old Las Posadas procession . Stop in at the City Centre Café for a bite to eat. Pope John Paul II visited San Fernando Cathedral in 1987, the first and only papal visit to Texas.

Top10 Features

1. Sanctuary and First Church

1. Sanctuary and First Church

The original church was built between 1738–1749 and its walls form the cathedral’s sanctuary. The area in front of the main retablo is the principal chapel. On the floor is a marker indicating the city’s center.
2. Church Tower

The original tower was used by the Texans to spot the arrival of Santa Anna and the Mexican army in 1836. The tower was removed during the construction of the French Gothic addition in 1968.
3. Defenders of the Alamo Sarcophagus

The marble coffin said to hold the remains of some of the Alamo defenders, is located in a chapel in the southeast corner of the cathedral. The remains were found buried under the sanctuary railing of the original church in 1936.
4. French Gothic Addition

In 1968, work began on the massive French Gothic Revival style addition that replaced the front of the original church. Designed by Paris-trained architect, François Giraud, the cathedral was significantly enlarged to contain a new nave with magnificent soaring ceilings.
5. Retablos

5. Retablos

Three fabulous 18th-century style retablos were created in 2002–3 by Leonardo Soto Recendiz, to replace those lost in the fire of 1828. The splendid central retablo, Jesus Christ, Word and Sacrament , is gilded in 24-carat gold.
6. Statue of San Antonio

In 1691, missionaries arrived at the San Antonio River on the feast day of St Anthony, a Franciscan who died in Italy in 1231. This statue of San Antonio, patron saint of the city, was created by Agustin Parra of Mexico in 2002.
7. Statue of San Fernando

The beautifully painted bronze statue of San Fernando’s patron saint, is the oldest statue in the cathedral. The church was named after the King of Castile, Ferdinand III, who reigned in the13th century.
8. Baptismal Font

8. Baptismal Font

This ornate hand-carved stone baptismal font is the oldest religious furnishing in the cathedral, and is believed to have been a gift from Charles III who became King of Spain in 1759.
9. El Cristo Negro

This replica of the Black Christ brought from Esquipulas, Guatemala, in the 1980s, is one of the most popular devotional shrines in San Fernando. Candles, pictures, and notes are often left here as petitions to God.
10. Stations of the Cross, Windows and Pipe Organ

10. Stations of the Cross, Windows and Pipe Organ

The carved-stone Stations of the Cross and the wooden pulpit date from 1874. The pipe organ is the oldest in the city, and the nine exquisite stained-glass windows, depicting 18 saints, date from 1920.

Practical Information

Visit the museum to learn about the story of San Fernando’s transformation from a simple church to a magnificent cathedral. Festivities during Holy Week include the Passion Play, special processions, and masses. Stop in at the City Centre Café for a bite to eat. 115 Main Plaza 210-227-1297 Mass: 8am Spanish, 5:30pm Bilingual Sat; 6am Spanish, 8am Spanish, 10am English/Spanish/Latin, 12 noon Spanish, 2pm English, 5pm Bilingual Sun; 6:15am English, 12:05pm Bilingual Mon–Fri www.sfcathedral.org