Catedral Primada de las Américas de Santo Domingo

Beautiful church. The tickets are 180dp with the audio guide, less than $3, completely reasonable.

It was off putting to have to pay to get inside a Catholic Cathedral. 100 DP with an audio guide or 80 w/o. Cheapened the otherwise beautiful inside scenery but it's DR, they'll try anything to make a buck or peso in this case. What was disturbing was the tour groups forming so that prevented free movement and made way too much noise while people were actually trying to worship.

I didn't go inside, not much of a scene to me but I appreciate the architecture so I stopped and took some photos. If you like history and are into these kinds of things then you'll enjoy this. No way humans did this type of carving.

This place was stunning! The structure was incredibly old and the craftsmanship was next to none. The pictures are beautiful but I assure you they don't do justice to the scale of beauty in this long standing structure. Well setup and stunning views in the beautiful colonial district of Santa Domingo.

Rustic, real, reverent, and relevant, i must see in Santo Domingo. You have an area to pray, and they offer head phones so you can get the history

Best known as the first cathedral of the Americas. The Cathedral of the Americas (Catedral Primada de America) is an imposing landmark overlooking Columbus Park in Santo Domingo’s historic district. Built-in the early 16th century, the Cathedral of Santa Maria la Menor is the oldest Catholic cathedral in the New World and among the finest examples of Gothic architecture outside Europe. The majestic building is unmissable thanks to its golden-tinted facade that’s even more impressive at sunrise and sunset. Behind its solid limestone walls are aisles under ornate vaulted ceilings, a great collection of early 16th-century paintings and colonial-era artifacts. Located in the Colonial Zone, the cathedral is one of Santo Domingo’s most famous religious sites and contains a large collection of woodcarving and religious artifacts. A functioning house of worship, the cathedral still holds mass regularly. You can also tour the interior of the cathedral and its grounds, either on a self-guided audio tour or during a guided sightseeing tour that also features other highlights in the Colonial Zone of Santo Domingo. There is a dress code to go inside. However, if you forget to dress appropriately, church employees will loan you a blanket or shawl to cover any exposed parts.

A must visit place if you are visiting Santo Domingo Dominican Republic. This is the oldest cathedral in the Americas. It does not have the depth of a cathedral in Europe, but it is still a must see. We paid the extra 20 pesos for a guided tours recording. Suggest a visit down the street to Valentino for yummy Italian Gelato ice cream.

As a major factor in the decision for Ciudad Colonial to become a UNESCO world heritage site, the five hundred year old Gothic style cathedral offers audio tours in multiple languages, along with supporting a regular parish. To reach the tourist entrance, visitors enter La Plazoleta de los Curas [Little Plaza of the Priests], so called because this was a place for the clergy to gather. Catedral Primada de América was spectacular in scale, but its size was also its weakness when keeping the attention of the visitor. Even with the decently lighting, easy walking, wheelchair accessible, plenty of places to sit, and expertly recorded audio tour, the constant stream of icons and names caused sensory overload. Visitors from around the world easily fit in the space and enjoyed the chapels both at their own pace and in their own language. Some of these visitors were older children on class trips who could no longer concentrate once they arrived at the tenth chapel or later. While this priceless historic site is a must-see for anyone traveling to Santo Domingo, along with a pilgrimage for devout Catholics, the experience is not be fun for the average visitor under eighteen. The cathedral is open to visitors from 9:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m., Monday through Saturday. Tickets with an audio tour cost about RD$60 ($1.20 US). Only a few people at a time can purchase tickets from the inside booth, so one member of the party must go inside while the others wait in the plaza.