Catedral de la Inmaculada Concepción

Modernist concrete cathedral on Plaza de Bolívar, an unusual sight in Colombia

A genuinely unusual building. Instead of the colonial pastiche or neo-Gothic spires of most Colombian cathedrals, the Catedral de la Inmaculada Concepción presents a curving concrete sail pierced by stained glass. From outside it looks like a piece of brutalist sculpture; inside, the high white interior is bathed in coloured light.

Worth ten minutes if you're already on the plaza. Mass is held throughout the day and the building stays open for visitors between services.

things to do church architecture
A story
When the design was unveiled in the 1960s, the city's old guard accused the architects of building a "cement parachute" rather than a church. The structure proved its worth in the 1999 earthquake, when its sculptural concrete shell rode out the tremors that brought down dozens of nearby buildings.

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