Cathedral of St. John the Baptist

Visit a prominent Catholic place of worship that charms with its understated décor and design features and religious works of art.

The Cathedral of St. John the Baptist (Catedral São João Batista) is an important religious landmark in the city of Foz do Iguacu. It is a modest and elegant building with an attractive clock tower and a history that dates back to the 1920s.

The previous church on this site was a wooden construction that was destroyed in 1925 by an errant firework. During celebrations to mark the end of the Paulista Revolution it fell onto the roof and set the building on fire. Work on the current cathedral got underway in 1940 and because of numerous delays wasn’t completed until the end of the 1970s.

Before going inside, appreciate the church’s exterior design features, including the cross that crowns the tower and the numerous arched windows. At night, it is an even more delightful sight when illuminated, especially during an evening mass when light spills out of the windows onto the street.

Just like the exterior, the interior décor is marked by a sense of calmness and simplicity. In places, the light colored walls are adorned with paintings of religious figures. Pause to study them in a little more detail and then go to the back of the church to view a beautiful stained glass window.

There are numerous opportunities to attend a mass, because they are celebrated every day. There are three each weekday, in the early morning, around noon and in the early evening.

The Cathedral of St. John the Baptist is also known as Igreja Matriz and is situated in the city’s Centro district. It is easy to reach via public buses and taxis, and is close to other popular city attractions. Among them is the Guarani Forest Zoological Park. Walk along wooded trails through lush Brazilian flora and visit enclosures that house such animals as big cats, exotic birds, monkeys and reptiles.