The Catedral Santa Clara de Asís is the most important religious structure in the city. This Roman Catholic church, dedicated to the patron saint of the city, Saint Clare of Assisi, also houses the Diocese of Santa Clara.

The founders of the church were believers in the Immaculate Conception, a dogma of Catholicism that advocates that Virgin Mary, mother of Jesus, unlike all other human beings, was not affected by original sin but was purified from all sin from the moment of her conception, that is, from her personal existence.

HISTORY

The city's first church, the Ermita de la Candelaria, was located on the site occupied by the Teatro La Caridad building, around Park Leoncio Vidal. It had been constructed at the initiative of the benefactor, Father Juan de Conyedo, in 1696. It was replaced by a new one in 1738. The new building was a beautiful, striking building with a clock tower. It served as the main Parish Church for many years.

However, in 1849, it was converted into a barracks and later into a telegraph office. In 1884, the Teatro La Caridad was built on part of the land of the old church.

The future of the church, which had fallen into disrepair, was a topic of mayoral election campaigns for years. Some residents favored preserving the colonial-era church, which they called the Iglesia Mayor, since it was one of the oldest in the growing city, realizing its importance as a heritage site.

Another segment of the public favored redesigning and expanding the existing park and relocating the church to a nearby location.

Ultimately, the decision was made to demolish the church and expand it into Lencio Vidal Park. In 1923, the over two-century-old church was completely demolished.

Dissatisfied with this action, church officials filed a formal complaint against the city and won, but the church never received the compensation it was owed.

Construction of the new church began in 1940 and Architect José A. Mendigutía was entrusted with the construction of the church. On June 30, 1940, the ground was blessed and the first cornerstone was laid by the Architect Saul A. Balbona in a Mass held by Monsignor Martínez Dalmau, accompanied by several priests from the Diocese of Cienfuegos. However, due to a lack of financial resources construction work stopped between 1949 and 1950. Thus, the public's contributions and donations were secured through a variety of attractive fundraising initiatives, including raffles, lotteries, ticket sales, and other methods. Finally, the church was completed and inaugurated on October 25, 1953. It was consecrated in 1954.

In the early 1970s, Monsignor Francisco Prego, the bishop of the Cienfuegos diocese, which encompassed aslo the province of Villa Clara, settled in Santa Clara and, since he would be conducting mass there, requested from the Vatican that the church in Santa Clara be declared a cathedral. His request was granted on December 17, 1972, and the church in Santa Clara was elevated to cathedral status.

On April 1, 1995, the Diocese of Santa Clara was was established by the Ad aptius consulendum of Pope John Paul II in created in the Catedral Santa Clara de Asís, separating it from the Diocese of Cienfuegos-Santa Clara. It is part of the Archdiocese of Camagüey since 1998.

ARCHITECTURAL FEATURES

The building has a neo-Gothic style with two truncated towers that are 21,5 m high. French influence is evident on the front and side facades. The facade features a statue of Saint Clare of Assisi holding a gold monstrance, the statue of Jesus, and the coat of arms of the city of Santa Clara.

The floor inside is covered with marble dominated by pink color.

The most impressive work of art within the structure is the larger-than-life-size statue of the Virgin Mary, known as "La Virgen del Camino" (Virgin of the Travelers). The statue is 3 meters tall and weighs more than three tons.

Until the revolution, this statue stood on the Prolongación de la Calle Independencia to bless travelers. Around that time, the statue disappeared and remained unseen for about 30 years. It is alleged that the order to remove the statue came from Che Guevara. In fact, as religious authorities have admitted, it remained forgotten in a ditch since the mid-1960s.

It was finally found by chance in 1986 in a ditch covered with dirt and brush. After a political debate erupted over whether the statue, long forgotten by the people of Santa Clara, should be given to a museum or a church, the statue was eventually given to religious authorities. The image of the Immaculate Conception of the Virgin Mary was placed at the main entrance of the cathedral on June 11, 1995.

The cathedral includes a wonderful collection of leaded stained glass windows at the vaults an ta the sides which allow light to enter inside. The French stained-glass windows in the main entrance also give the church a very pleasant atmosphere.

The historic marble "pilon" or holy water basin used for baptisms, and is remarkable.

The altarpiece above a white marble altar, dedicated to Saint Clare of Assisi, were lost in 1960s. It is argued that the Parish priest at the time destroyed the altar and the alterpiece with hammer blows.