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The founding of the population of Pereira in 1864 by Antioquia settlers, marked the starting point for the layout of the city and its main municipal buildings. The first lot for the construction of the church was granted by the Agrarian Commission on May 6, 1874 on the western side of the Plaza de Bolívar, then called Plaza Victoria, to which other areas were gradually added until 1883, when the space for the final layout of the building would be finished, which would occupy the entire north side of the block to the west of the square.

The original construction, completed in 1890, would be greatly affected by the earthquake of March 20, 1906 and would be rebuilt by Heliodoro Ochoa after signing a contract with the priest José María López. With the course of the 20th century the population grew and the importance of the church also.

After the 1999 earthquake, the building was again very damaged and in the reconstruction works important archaeological remains were found under the building, as well as human remains of the first settlers of the Cartago Viejo population, the first Spanish foundation, abandoned in 1691. During the The reconstruction work lasted three years, a guadua structure was used that fulfilled the functions of an 'alternate cathedral'.

The church has a single elongated basilica-type floor with a central nave and two lateral ones with several chapels. It contains 13 thousand pieces in curly cumin wood that support the dome, which can be approximated to the medieval Romanesque style. On the outside it has two small side towers and a clock on its front that completes the facade.

The interior walls of the church have exposed brick, decorated with mosaics, reflecting a Byzantine style, similar to that of the first Christian and Orthodox churches. The capitals are made of curly cumin wood and the cherubs and evangelists appear on the dome of the transept, the work of Lisandro Tirado. The ceiling is adorned with canvases painted by José Moreno in 1932.





It is located on the western side of Plaza de Bolívar, between streets 20 and 21 with Carrera 7, in the center of the city.



The Cathedral of Our Lady of Poverty of Pereira is the hierarchical temple of the Diocese and the cultural icon of the city, it is built on the foundations of the old church of the city of Cartago that remained in this population from 1540 to 1691, abandoned the terrain moving to the west which is where it is currently; When they refounded Pereira in 1863 they used the same layout of the old colonial city, therefore the cathedral has been a religious epicenter since 1540.



The patrimonial value of this church is confirmed by the archaeological finds that were evidenced in the excavations carried out for the reconstruction of the temple after the earthquake of January 25, 1999, which gave the people of Pereira a rediscovery of their history, but now with an archaeological support for all the chroniclers and historians.



The Pereira Cathedral also conceives a complex structure of 13 thousand pieces in curled cumin wood that support its dome, its construction in exposed brick, its chapels, religious monuments, archaeological finds and its ancient history make it a must-see site. for all tourists.

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