Antigua Guatemala Cathedral ( ) is a Roman Catholic church in Antigua Guatemala , Guatemala . The original church was built around 1541 , but suffered several earthquakes throughout its history , and the first church building was demolished in 1669 . The cathedral was rebuilt and consecrated in 1680 . By 1743 the cathedral was one of the largest in Central America . However , the devastating 1773 Guatemala earthquake seriously damaged much of the building , though the two towers at the front remained largely intact . These have undergone restoration work , and the cathedral has been partly rebuilt After the Santa Marta Earthquakes of 1773 that destroyed Santiago de los Caballeros de Guatemala , there was a large argument between Spanish and clerical authorities on whether to move the city to a new location . Against strong opposition of archbishop Pedro Cortés y Larraz , Captain General Martin de Mayorga decided to impose the move to its new location in the Ermita Valley ; Cortés y Larraz was afraid that with the move the church had to begin from scratch and would lose part , if not all , of its power and influence . The cathedral moved to the new capital on 22 November 1779 , but all the interior ornaments that had not been destroyed by the earthquake in the old building remained behind in what was now called Antigua Guatemala ; in 1783 they were taken away from the frail ruins and stored in the old Universidad de San Carlos Borromeo building and in the El Sagrario Parish warehouse , which was also open the public in a section of the old cathedral
Santa Marta Earthquakes
1773 Guatemala earthquake
Antigua Guatemala Cathedral