Basilica Cathedral of Santa Maria la Menor

Basilica Cathedral of Santa Maria la Menor

Basilica Cathedral of Santa Maria la Menor
4.5
8:00 AM - 6:00 PM
Monday
8:00 AM - 6:00 PM
Tuesday
8:00 AM - 6:00 PM
Wednesday
8:00 AM - 6:00 PM
Thursday
8:00 AM - 6:00 PM
Friday
8:00 AM - 6:00 PM
Saturday
8:00 AM - 6:00 PM
Sunday
8:00 AM - 6:00 PM
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Top ways to experience Basilica Cathedral of Santa Maria la Menor

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4.5
4.5 of 5 bubbles3,220 reviews
Excellent
2,009
Very good
955
Average
220
Poor
22
Terrible
14

Joanne B
2 contributions
5.0 of 5 bubbles
Nov 2023 • Couples
Beautiful and impressive tour, with audio guide. Just make sure your shoulders and knees are covered.
Written 22 November 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

AMsays
Thornhill, Canada4,121 contributions
5.0 of 5 bubbles
Jun 2023
Americas’ oldest cathedral is dedicated to St. Mary of the Incarnation. Completed in 1550 after 46 years in notable Gothic style whose architecture is reminiscent of European cathedrals. The outside limestone edifice is a golden coral colour sporting unique façades of archways, ribbed walls, bell towers, columns and rose windows. Inside there is a renowned treasury with an excellent art collection of ancient woodcarvings, paintings, furnishings, funerary monuments, silver, and jewelry which unfortunately I was unable to view as the cathedral was closed. Christopher Columbus was once intombed here but now resides in a crypt at the Columbus Lighthouse, here in Santo Domingo as he had wished.
Written 12 July 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

andy y
36 contributions
2.0 of 5 bubbles
Mar 2023
The cathedral itself is nice to walk in and look around, though you have to pay a small fee to enter. I encountered a very mediocre 'tour guide' who posed as a gate guard, so watch out for that. The cathedral can definitely be administered better.
Written 18 April 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

scotdoc2015
Birmingham, UK204 contributions
4.0 of 5 bubbles
Feb 2023
Well organised place. Peaceful. Makes you ponder of the times when it was built, Awe inspiring holy place. Historic place. Must visit.
Written 12 March 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

Swift-Ohio
Hudson, OH324 contributions
4.0 of 5 bubbles
Feb 2023
Beautiful cathedral. Work a look. The audio tour they give you was very informative. You do have to make sure you are dressing properly (no shorts or bare shoulders).
Written 5 March 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

Harley1Dave
Halifax, Canada241 contributions
4.0 of 5 bubbles
Feb 2023
Today we explored more of the Zone Colonial which included a walk through The Cathedral of the Americas, my mom would have stayed in this cathedral all day, pretty amazing. They covered Donna’s legs, I didn’t think they looked that bad, lol.
Written 19 February 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

Jackie S
Pleasant Prairie, WI90 contributions
5.0 of 5 bubbles
Nov 2022 • Couples
If you’re Catholic, go to a mass here. We have very little Spanish but we’re able to follow the mass. So much history here! It’s gorgeous. Not open very frequently for tours. No shorts allowed. Pants or dresses.
Written 10 November 2022
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

maria k
New Port Richey, FL29 contributions
5.0 of 5 bubbles
Mar 2022
This Cathedral is phenomenal. Anyone visiting DR must arrange a day visit to Santo Domingo and visit the Colonial section where this Cathedral is located.
Written 20 March 2022
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

BrakiWorldTraveler
Belgrade, Serbia17,760 contributions
4.0 of 5 bubbles
Dec 2021
Among many "first things" in SD, this Basilica is the most important one imo.
In Spanish they call it simply the First Cathedral (Catedral Primada), as it was the first Catholic breakthrough in the Americas. Today it celebrates more than 500 years on American continent.
The Basilica is located on the southern side of the Columbus park, behind Columbus back, and shines intact in its beauty. Interiors are very nice, including the altar and many side chapels.
The only reason I deduct one star is because they charge entry. Place of worship should be free for everyone.
Written 29 January 2022
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

Ryan B.
North Kingstown, RI107 contributions
4.0 of 5 bubbles
Dec 2021
At 4pm the church is closed to tourists, however if you're Catholic you can attend daily Mass at 5pm. The entrance for tourists and Mass goers alike is around the corner in the back. There was no signage indicating that, just people pointing. Admission with audio tour is $2. The audio tour has a recording for the nave and each of the 12 chapels. There are also multilingual plaques for each. You can take photos inside the church, but not of the side chapel containing the tabernacle. Men cannot wear shorts during Mass.

I'll admit I have a couple bones to pick, but nothing worth docking the rating much. It's still a world-class tourist destination with fascinating history and beautiful architecture.

Our first attempt to visit was a failure. We tried 5pm daily Mass and were turned away because I was wearing shorts. I then saw a girl with VERY short shorts allowed to enter. Not fair.

The next day, I toured the cathedral alone (in shorts). I paid for the audio tour, but quickly stopped using it when I realized there were English plaques for everything with the same information. Either way there wasn't a ton of information. While I enjoyed much about the cathedral, I was definitely not a fan of the modern abstract stained glass windows.

I returned later with my wife for the 5pm daily Mass. This time I made sure to wear pants. Another man was allowed to enter with shorts, but was given a shawl to wrap around his legs (I would have gladly taken a shawl the day before had it been offered to me).

We love attending Mass in various languages on all of our trips. This one was an exception though. The music ministry sounded like children's songs (there were no children attending Mass though) and sure enough they ended Mass with Jingle Bells. Ugh. Worse than the music though was the homily. Granted, we didn't understand it since it was in Spanish, but he was literally yelling into the microphone nonstop for what seemed like an eternity. It was brutal. I've sat through many homilies not in my language, but never experienced something like this before.

In summary, come for the amazing history and architecture, but skip the daily Mass.
Written 28 December 2021
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

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BASILICA CATHEDRAL OF SANTA MARIA LA MENOR: All You Need to Know BEFORE You Go (with Photos)

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