page_title: León Cathedral, Nicaragua
section_title: Architecture
hierarchical_section_title: León Cathedral, Nicaragua / Architecture
caption_attribution_description: Escultura de un León a las puertas de la Catedral de León
context_page_description: The Cathedral of the Assumption of Mary, also known as 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.
context_section_description: The architectural design was developed in 1762 by the Guatemalan architect Diego José de Porres Esquivel. It blends the Baroque and Neoclassicism styles with some influences from Gothic, Renaissance and Mudéjar 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.  
  Seven tunnels start under the church and lead to the other churches in the city. The church has seven cellars; they provide stability in the event of earthquakes. One of these cellars leads to the tunnels that make their way to the other churches in the city. Above ground, the church has 34 domes which help provide both ventilation and light; "the building is one of the best naturally illuminated cathedrals in America". People were offered the possibility to be buried below the cathedral, helping to fund the construction and maintenance of the building.
caption: Lion at the facade of the cathedral.
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