Our Lady of Grace Cathedral, León

The Cathedral of León, also known as Cathedral of the Assumption of Mary and the "Real and Renowned Basilica Cathedral of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary", is a significantly important and historic landmark in Nicaragua. The Cathedral was awarded World Heritage Site status with the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization . The site's nomination is Nicaragua's third cultural landmark, following the ruins of León Viejo and El Güegüense.ConstructionThe Cathedral's construction lasted between 1747 and 1814 and was consecrated by Pope Pius IX in 1860. Cathedral has maintained the status of being the largest cathedral in Central America and one of the best known in the Americas due to its distinct architecture and special cultural importance.ArchitectureThe architectural design was developed in 1762 by the Guatemalan architect Diego José de Porres y Esquivel. It blends the Baroque and Neoclassicism styles with some influences from Gothic, Renaissance and Mudejar styles. Thus the building can be categorized as belonging to the Eclecticism style. The cathedral has a rectangular plan, of a type general in those centuries and similar to those of the cathedrals of Lima and Cuzco, Peru. The towers and the facade are mainly Neoclassical. The cathedral has a nave and four aisles, ten arched bays and two towers in the facade, flanking a central round pediment marking the position of the nave. The sacrarium, whose salient breaks the rectangular symmetry of the building on the South side, is located almost parallel to the biggest altar. Their interior is roomy and its columns cruciform; the central nave is divided by columns from the lateral aisles and the structure is finished off over the crossing by a great dome. The facade, elevated on a terrace, combines Baroque show with the neoclassical style. The windows are arched and the two towers have Chinese domes. Due to the robustness of its walls, the Cathedral has survived tremors, volcanic eruptions of the Cerro Negro volcano and wars.