Cathedral of Santo Domingo

Cathedral Basilica of Santa María la Menor
Front entrance to the Cathedral of Santa María la Menor
Religion
Affiliation	Catholic
Province	Archdiocese of Santo Domingo
Location
Location	Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic
Architecture
Style	Gothic
Groundbreaking	1504
Completed	1550
UNESCO World Heritage Site
UNESCO World Heritage Site
Part of	Colonial City of Santo Domingo
Criteria	Cultural: (ii), (iv), (vi)
Reference	526
Inscription	1990 (14th Session)
Coordinates	18°28′22″N 69°53′02″W / 18.4727777878°N 69.8838888989°W / 18.4727777878; -69.8838888989
Location of Cathedral of Santo Domingo in the Dominican Republic

The Cathedral of Santa María la Menor in the Colonial City of Santo Domingo is dedicated to St. Mary of the Incarnation. It is the first and oldest cathedral in the Americas,^[1] begun in 1504 and was completed in 1550.^[2] It is the cathedral of the Archbishop of Santo Domingo who has the honorary title of Primate of the Indies because this cathedral was the first diocese and the oldest cathedral established in the New World.^[1]

The cathedral is fronted with a golden-tinted coral limestone façade. The building is Gothic,^[2][1] a notable example of real Gothic architecture outside Europe. There is also a treasury which has an excellent art collection of ancient woodcarvings, furnishings, funerary monuments, silver, and jewelry.

It is located between Calle Arzobispo Merino and Isabel la Católica, next to Columbus Park in the city of Santo Domingo de Guzmán.