Lima Cathedral

Timeline

January 18, 1535:
The conqueror Francisco Pizarro placed the first stone and carried over his shoulders the first log used in the construction of the Cathedral. The chosen location is between the Main Plaza and the "Street of the Jews" ("Calle de Judíos", in Spanish).

1538: The construction of the first church is completed. It is primitive, small and rustic.

March 11, 1540: The church is officially inaugurated by Francisco Pizarro.

May 14, 1541: Bula de Paulo III, Illius Fulciti Praesidio, designates the church as a Cathedral, by creating the Diocesis of the City of the Kings. The Cathedral now becomes part of the assigned region of Saint John Evangelist ("San Juan Evangelista" in Spanish) and stops depending on Cuzco to become under the command of Sevilla.

1542: The temple undergoes some improvements, building additional structures over the terrain donated by García de Salcedo.

September 17, 1543: The Bishop Jerónimo de Loayza signs the "Lima Cathedral Construction Act" and elects its council.

February 12, 1546: The church is upgraded to Metropolitan Church, and by that "The Kings" becomes Archidiocesis. This is done by the bula Super Universa Orbis of Paulo III.

1551: Inauguration of the second Cathedral, by the Archibishop Jerónimo de Loayza.

1564: The Archibishop Jerónimo de Loayza assigns the task of reforming the Cathedral to make it like the Sevilla Cathedral in Spain, to the "alarife" Alonso Beltrán.

1572: Work on the third Cathedral started by demolising the walls of "adobe", but the project was shortly abandoned because it cost too much.

1598: The renascentist architect Francisco Becerra reduced the plans to only 3 salons, plus 2 chappels. Works on the third Cathedral are reinitiated.

February 2, 1604: The Archibishop Toribio Alfonso de Mogrovejo inaugurates the first part of the third Cathedral.

1609: Earthquake destroys the vaults of the recently built structure.

1614-1615: The old renascentist vaults are rebuilt at a lower height with a gothic style.

August 15, 1622: First Mass in the finished third Cathedral.

October 19, 1625: The Archibishop Gonzalo de Ocampo consecrated the third Lima Cathedral.

1626: Juan Martínez de Arona and Pedro de Noguera designed the main portal as it is today.

1687: Another eartquake destroys the vaults of the Cathedral.

December 7, 1697: Reconstruction of the Cathedral finishes and it is officially inaugurated.

1732: Two additional portals are built.

1746: Earthquake destroys vaults and pillars.

May 29, 1755: The first part of the rebuilt Cathedral is inaugurated.

December 8, 1758: The second part of the rebuilt Cathedral is inaugurated.

December 8, 1778: The Archibishop Diego Antonio de Parada inaugurates the renovated interior of the Cathedral.

1794-1797: Construction of the current towers of the Cathedral, designed by the architect Ignacio Martorell.

January 17, 1893: The Cathedral is closed because it is in very bad shape.

January 7, 1896: Internal renovation works are begun.

January 6, 1898: Inauguration of renovated Cathedral.

1940: Earthquake. Restoration by Emilio Harth-Terré.