America's oldest cathedral sanctuary is San Antonio's San Fernando Cathedral, which was founded in 1731 by Canary Islanders. Its 9 a.m. Sunday mass is broadcast across the country; it can also be seen locally on Catholic Television of San Antonio, cable channel 15. The cathedral is also well known among visitors of all denominations for its annual reenactment of the Way of the Cross on Good Friday; the Spanish language presentation draws thousands of viewers.

Still very much an active place of worship, this historic church was constructed in 1738 by Canary Island colonists, making this the oldest cathedral sanctuary in the nation. At this site, Santa Anna raised a flag of no quarter before attacking the Alamo. The cathedral has another link with the Alamo: in the back of the chapel, a sarcophagus holds what many believe to be the remains of the Alamo defenders. The remains were unearthed during a renovation in 1936.

The site suffered a fire in 1873 and the chapel was replaced with what visitors see today. Nonetheless, the site is filled with historic items including a stone baptismal font which is believed to have been a gift from King Charles III of Spain in 1759. The pipe organ is the oldest in the city. The church was visited by Pope John Paul II on his San Antonio visit on September 13, 1987.

For all its history, the cathedral remains a very active church today. Over 4,000 worshippers attend each Sunday's mass; the cathedral also performs over 900 baptisms and 100 weddings every year. The cathedral also serves as the location of the Archdiocese of San Antonio.

Hours: The cathedral is open for public viewing from Tuesday through Friday 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. and 2 p.m. to 4:45 p.m. Mass is performed on Saturday at 8:00 a.m. (Spanish) and 5:30 p.m. (bilingual), and Sunday at 6:00 a.m. (Spanish), 8:00 a.m. (a televised bilingual service), 10:00 a.m. (Latin/Spanish/English), 12:00 p.m. (Spanish), 2:00 p.m. (English), 5:00 p.m. (bilingual). On weekdays, mass is performed at 6:15 a.m. (English) and 12:05 p.m. (bilingual).

Location: 115 Main Plaza, downtown San Antonio

For More Information: visit San Fernando Cathedral

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