The Cathedral Basilica of St. Francis of Assisi

Between 1869 and 1886, the later Archbishop Jean Baptiste Lamy built the new cathedral around the old church in place of the adobe church La Parroquia built in 1714-1717, which was demolished after the new building was completed. A small chapel on the north side of the cathedral has been preserved from the old church. The cathedral was designed under the influence of the French-born Archbishop Lamy and in dramatic contrast to the surrounding adobe buildings in Romanesque Revival style.
The cathedral was inaugurated by Pope Benedict XVI on October 4, 2005. officially elevated to the status of a basilica and designated the Cathedral Basilica of Saint Francis of Assisi.

As a Neo-Romanesque building, the cathedral has characteristic arches that are separated by Corinthian columns and blunt square towers. The large rose window above the entrance and the twelve apostles in the side windows of the nave were imported from Clermont-Ferrand in France. The towers were originally supposed to be 49 meters high, but due to a lack of funds, they were never completed.