The Catedral da Sé sits at the heart of the original colonial centre, on the Praça da Sé that gives São Paulo its kilometre-zero — every road distance in the state is measured from here. The current building was begun in 1913 in a neo-Gothic Italian style, finished in 1954, with twin 92-metre towers and a Renaissance-style dome added later. The eight thousand-pipe Italian organ inside is one of the largest in Latin America.
The Praça outside has had a difficult history — homeless camps, drug problems, several waves of attempted urban renewal — and the area can feel rough. It is fine to visit during the day; come for the cathedral, the surrounding colonial fragments (the Pátio do Colégio is one block away), and the sense of São Paulo's historic core.