Rio de Janeiro Cathedral Church

Address: Catedral Metropolitana de São Sebastião (Metropolitan Cathedral), Centro, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil

Admission: Free entry to the cathedral

The Metropolitan Cathedral of Saint Sebastian in Rio de Janeiro is a modernist Roman Catholic cathedral in downtown Rio, notable for its conical, volcano-like silhouette and expansive interior. Construction took place in the mid-20th century and the building was completed in the 1970s.

The structure is a wide concrete cone with a large circular footprint and four towering stained-glass panels set into the cone’s walls, which reach close to the roof and flood the interior with colored light. The nave is designed to accommodate large congregations and the building functions as the seat of the Archdiocese of Rio de Janeiro.

The cathedral sits in the central city area near the civic and cultural district and is easily reached from surrounding downtown plazas and transport hubs.

• Design highlights: The cathedral’s striking conical silhouette is visible from much of central Rio; the interior is notable for very large vertical stained-glass windows and a spacious, open nave.

What to See#

• Interior and stained glass: A tall, modern conical nave defined by four vertical stained-glass panels that extend from the floor to near the roof, creating a luminous interior.

The Metropolitan Cathedral of Rio de Janeiro (Catedral Metropolitana de São Sebastião) is in downtown Rio de Janeiro and is easy to reach by public transit. Take the Rio Metro Line 1 to Cinelândia station - the cathedral is a short walk from that station. It’s also walkable from many downtown bus routes and from the city center; from Santos Dumont Airport it’s a short taxi ride across central Rio.

• Go early on weekday mornings to avoid tour groups that crowd the nave and to have quieter time to study the cathedral's immense conical interior and stained-glass panels.
• Buy tickets or confirm opening hours in advance-this downtown cathedral can have limited visiting hours around services and special events, so check the official schedule before you go.
• Approach from the Avenida Chile/Cinelândia area to combine a visit with nearby historic sites in downtown Rio and to avoid the heavier traffic corridors to the south.