Metropolitan Cathedral, Rio

The Metropolitan Cathedral of Saint Sebastian in Rio de Janeiro, also known as the Metropolitan Cathedral, is an unusual building for a Cathedral. It is designed and built in the shape of a pyramid.   It resembles the Mayan pyramids in Mexico such as Chichen Itza.

It shares the same name as the Metropolitan Cathedral in Buenos Aires that also has an unusual design, and that is one of a Greek Temple.

Like the Metropolitan Cathedral in Buenos Aires in Argentina,  the Metropolitan Cathedral in Rio is the seat of the Roman Catholic Church in Rio. 

The Metropolitan Cathedral of Saint Sebastian in Rio.
This Cathedral is not much to look at from the outside but as soon as you step inside, you will immediately feel the sense of magnitude of the place. It was awesome!
Photo taken by R Guatama, a fellow tourist, who kindly shared his photo with me. We were both very fascinated by the design and build.
Mollywozhere photo, naturally!

Like many people inside the Cathedral, I did not feel like moving. I was just contended to stand still while I  take in and observe all around me. The coloured stained glass were simply beautiful and their beauty was magnified by the grey concrete walls which seemed like they were put together like boxes on top of each other! I must say this design was quite effective and surprisingly visually appealing.

There is a huge wooden cross hanging from the ceiling in front of the altar which provided another interest.
Seeing is certainly believing!

There is a museum located in the basement of the Cathedral that you can visit for a small fee.  It displayed various religious relics and items of importance and significance to the Roman Catholic church.  It had interesting items that I found  myself staying longer than I had intended. 

I couldn't resist taking this photo of what I assumed was a statue of Mother Theresa outside in the grounds of the Cathedral. There was no inscription or any information that I could see.
This was another interesting statue on the grounds of the Cathedral. The statue is of a person lying down on a bench with cloth covering the face. It is believed that it is the statue of Jesus Christ because of the holes on the feet. A homeless man knelt by this statue and wept and I guessed praying for assistance. It was quite moving !

If you are in Rio de Janeiro, it is worth making the time to visit this unusual and magnificent Cathedral. 

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