Cathedral of Brasília
Catholic church in Brasília, Brazil
The Cathedral of Brasília (Portuguese: Catedral Metropolitana de Brasília, "Metropolitan Cathedral of Brasília") is the Roman Catholic cathedral serving Brasília, Brazil, and serves as the seat of the Archdiocese of Brasília. It was designed by Brazilian architect Oscar Niemeyer and engineered by Brazilian structural engineer Joaquim Cardozo, and was completed and dedicated on May 31, 1970.
Description
The cathedral is a hyperboloid structure constructed from 16 concrete columns weighing 90 tons each.
In the square access to the cathedral are four 2.5-meter (8 ft 2 in) tall bronze sculptures representing the four Evangelists, created by sculptors Alfredo Ceschiatti and Dante Croce in 1968. Also outside the cathedral, to the right as visitors face the entrance, stands a 20-meter (66 ft) tall bell tower containing four large bells donated by Spanish residents of Brazil and cast in Miranda de Ebro. At the entrance of the cathedral is a pillar with passages from the life of Mary, mother of Jesus, painted by Athos.
A 12-meter (39 ft) wide, 40-centimeter (16 in) deep reflecting pool surrounds the cathedral roof and helps cool the building. Visitors pass under this pool when entering the cathedral.
The cathedral can hold up to 4,000 people. The oval baptistery is to the left of the entrance, and can be entered either from the cathedral or via a spiral staircase from the entrance plaza.
The public source identifies “Cathedral of Brasília” as catholic church in Brasília, Brazil. This brief keeps that definition visible, then builds a research path around Cathedral, Brasília and Catholic.
Why this record matters
A short description can identify a subject without explaining its stakes. For “Cathedral of Brasília”, the useful work is to connect “catholic church in Brasília, Brazil” to the records capable of establishing context and consequence.
The strongest evidence will usually combine a dated visual record with documents produced by the authority responsible for the place. The source revision retrieved here is dated Jul 30, 2026. The linked authority identifier is Q201720. Authority coordinates are -15.798, -47.876. 2 of 3 selected statements include explicit references; 0 carry qualifiers and 0 use preferred rank. The first chronological checks are 1970 and 1968.
Architectural summaries often privilege surviving fabric and can understate demolished phases, contested use or displaced communities. The source lead contains qualifying language; that uncertainty should survive quotation, summary and reuse. Authority statements aid reconciliation but still require their own references, qualifiers and ranks to be checked.
How to read it
Treat names, boundaries and functions as historically changeable. Maps, plans, inventories and administrative records can clarify what the place meant at different dates.
- Historic place names
- Jurisdictional context
- Routes into maps and plans
Contemporary maps, plans, listed-building records, estate papers and the responsible local or national archive.
Three-step research path
- Establish the record: confirm the title “Cathedral of Brasília”, its source revision and the description used here.
- Expand the search: follow Cathedral of Brasília primary sources, Cathedral of Brasília archive and Cathedral research across catalogues and specialist indexes.
- Test the account: compare the strongest cited source with the responsible institution’s current record and note any disagreement.
Questions for further research
- Which source most directly establishes the central claim about “Cathedral of Brasília”?
- Which authority defined the place, boundary or structure at the relevant date?
- Which earlier names or jurisdictions may reveal additional records?
Search terms from this dossier
This entry incorporates text from “Cathedral of Brasília” on English Wikipedia. Contributors are listed in the page history. Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License. Selected authority identifiers and statements are retrieved from Wikidata under CC0; their references and qualifiers remain part of the verification path.