It is the successor to the cathedral that Pope Adrian VI had built in the newly founded city of Nuestra Señora de la Asunción de Panamá as the seat of the diocese of Santa María de La Antigua del Panamá, created in 1513. After the city was permanently destroyed by fire in 1671 by the pirate Henry Morgan, leaving what is now Panamá la Vieja, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, in ruins, the capital was relocated eight kilometers to the Casco Antiguo peninsula of Panama City, and the church was rebuilt to serve the same purpose. Construction of the larger church began in 1688. The façade was completed by 1741, and the five-aisled nave with a wooden roof was built by 1762. The cathedral was not completed and consecrated until 1796 with the construction of the bell towers. The three-story, white bell towers are said to still have three bells from the old cathedral. The declaration of independence from Spain was proclaimed from the steps of the cathedral in 1821; the square in front of it is now the Plaza de la Independencia. In 1943, the church was declared a national monument. Pope John Paul II visited the church in 1993. In 1997, it was declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site as part of the historic center of Panama City. [Source: Wikipedia]