Catholic cathedral on Gibraltar’s Main Street, rebuilt after Great Siege.
The Cathedral of Saint Mary the Crowned is a Catholic cathedral on Main Street in Gibraltar, principal place of Catholic worship in the Diocese of Gibraltar. Originating as a former mosque converted to “Santa Maria la Coronada y San Bernardo”, it was later rebuilt in Gothic style and significantly reconstructed after the Great Siege.
The Cathedral of Saint Mary the Crowned is a Catholic cathedral at 215 Main Street in Gibraltar and the main centre of Catholic worship in the Diocese of Gibraltar. The original building was constructed under Spanish rule. After the city was taken from the Moors, the main mosque was consecrated as a parish church named “Santa Maria la Coronada y San Bernardo”. Under the Catholic Monarchs the old structure was demolished and replaced with a new church in Gothic style. The present cathedral courtyard is a remnant of the larger Moorish mosque courtyard, and it still preserves the coat of arms of the Catholic Monarchs. In 1704 this church was the only Catholic church or institution in Gibraltar not looted by the occupying troops, successfully protected by its priest Juan Romero de Figueroa and his assistants. Damaged during the Great Siege of Gibraltar (1779–1783), it was rebuilt in 1810 after an agreement with Governor Robert Boyd, which also allowed Main Street to be widened and straightened. A clock tower was added in 1820, and in 1931 the cathedral was restored and given its current western façade. For centuries it also served as a burial place beneath its floor.
