Metropolitan Cathedral

Downtown, near the Lapa Arches, the Metropolitan Cathedral of São Sebastião is one of Rio’s most striking buildings. Dedicated to the city’s patron saint, it is shaped like a huge concrete cone, very different from traditional cathedrals — and tends to surprise first-time visitors.

It was designed by Edgar de Oliveira da Fonseca and built between 1964 and 1979. According to the design, its conical shape was inspired by Mayan pyramids. It is 75 meters high and 106 meters across at the base — dimensions you only really grasp once inside.

The main feature is the four stained-glass windows, each about 64 meters tall, rising from floor to ceiling, each in one dominant color. Seen from inside, they seem to split the concrete from top to bottom, and the light coming through them changes tone throughout the day. At the top they meet to form a cross of light.

The cathedral holds about 5,000 people seated and up to 20,000 standing. In the basement there is a sacred art museum. It has been visited by two popes: John Paul II in 1980 and Francis in 2013, during World Youth Day.

The highlight is the light: around midday the sun streams through the stained glass and fills the interior with color. The silence of the huge space, despite the traffic outside, and the sheer scale of the building make the visit memorable, even for non-believers.