St. Philomena's Cathedral is a neo-Gothic church built between 1933 and 1941 in a style that recalls Cologne Cathedral — twin spires, flying buttresses, pointed arches, and stained glass. At 54 metres high it is one of the tallest churches in India. It was built under the last Mysore maharaja, Jayachamarajendra Wadiyar, on the site of an earlier church built by Tipu Sultan's French advisors; the maharaja's family, though Hindu, maintained an established tradition of patronising Catholic institutions in the city.
The interior is cool and dim, with the light filtering through coloured glass into a long nave. The crypt beneath the altar holds a replica of the statue of St. Philomena from the Agen Cathedral in France. The cathedral is a working parish church and most easily visited outside of service times — weekday mornings are quiet and a good time to sit in the nave and look at the architecture without interruption.