San Fernando Cathedral

Founded in 1731, The San Fernando Cathedral has been the center of of San Antonio since its doors first opened.

Naturally, it was the religious center of the Spanish colonial settlement of San Antonio de Bejar. Until Texas became independent from Spain, the only officially recognized religion by the crown was Catholicism. Because of this, services of all denominations were hosted here until Texas became independent in 1845. However, the Cathedral's history is not purely religious.

During the siege of the Alamo in 1836, General Santa Anna of the Mexican Army raised a flag of “no quarter”, or no mercy, from the cathedral’s tower. (In 1836, the cathedral was much smaller than it is today, and only one tower existed on the building--on its left side. Today, the original tower has been replaced with a Gothic style tower on both the left and right sides of the facade.) This flag signaled the beginning of the siege. Following the Texans’ defeat, their ashes were interned in a crypt located just inside the south entrance to the cathedral.

Today the cathedral remains an important focal point of the city. Hundreds of weddings, baptisms and funerals take place at the cathedral every year. Notably, the funeral of Henry B. Gonzalez- the first Mexican American elected from Texas to serve in US Congress- was held at the cathedral in 2000.