Greetings, dear friends of Worldmappin, welcome to my blog. Today I'm sharing an interesting review of a church that I've wanted to visit for a long time. Unfortunately, my visit was quite brief, as I arrived at around 12 noon and they were already closing. The few times I passed by and really wanted to visit, I found it closed. However, on the day I least expected to visit, as I was on my way home, I saw that it was open and went inside.

Upon entering the sacred grounds, I met a lady named Berta, who attended to me as soon as she saw me. She was very kind and served as an excellent guide despite the limited time she had to spare. The church was about to close, but she did not let me leave without providing me with a thorough overview of the church's history. I missed out on climbing the bell tower. She told me that if I had arrived a little earlier, I would have gone up with her to ring the bells. This Catholic church is known in the city as La Catedral (The Cathedral), although its full name is Catedral Metropolitana del Sagrado Corazón de Jesús (Metropolitan Cathedral of the Sacred Heart of Jesus). It is located in Cumaná, Sucre state, Venezuela, on Rivas Street, opposite Andrés Eloy Blanco Square and the Antonio José de Sucre High School, an important part of the colonial zone of Cumaná.

The last time I visited this church was when I graduated from high school in 1991 and the mass was held in this holy place. I didn't remember anything about the interior of the cathedral, so the day I finally visited it, I was impressed by its beauty and how well maintained it is. The cathedral looks huge from the outside, occupying a fairly large area. It is neoclassical in style and has an imposing facade. Construction began in the 18th century, but due to the earthquake that struck the city in 1929, it was destroyed and rebuilt in 1936. In 1989, it was officially declared the Metropolitan Cathedral of Cumaná.

In the exterior spaces of the cathedral, we can enjoy large planters and and granite tile floors, magnificent columns made of concrete. However, the interior is made entirely of wood, with ceilings and walls that, together with the benches, offer a dazzling and incredible setting for visitors.

The wood used to build the cathedral, as well as the pews, was brought from Spain and Cariaco, a town located in the state of Sucre, Venezuela, while the religious figures and statues are from Spain. You can also see beautiful lamps, called lágrimas, stained glass windows that were donated by the Berrizbeitia and Aristiguieta families, and religious figures of Dr. José Gregorio Hernández, Saint Anthony, Our Lady of Mount Carmel, Our Lady of Altagracia, and Our Lady of Lourdes.

We also find shrines and figures plated with gold leaf, which are very thin sheets of this beautiful, expensive, and laborious metal. At the entrance hangs a plaque summarizing the history of this important archdiocese and a portrait of the souls in purgatory.