The Catedral de São Pedro de Alcântara is an impressive French Gothic building that looks considerably older than it is — construction ran from 1884 to 1925, and the building was only consecrated in 1939. The interior contains the imperial mausoleum, where the remains of Emperor Pedro II, Empress Teresa Cristina, and Princess Isabel were reinterred in 1939 after being returned from Europe.
The cathedral's Gothic towers are visible from across the city and provide a useful landmark for navigating the historic centre. The nave is cool and quiet, with stained glass windows filtering coloured light across the stone. The mausoleum is in a separate chapel off the main nave — it is modest in scale but carries considerable historical weight, marking the end of the Brazilian Empire and the beginning of the republic.