Cathedral-Basilica of St. Augustine
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Cathedral Basilica of St. Augustine
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| Location | St. Augustine, Florida, USA |
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| Coordinates | 29°53′34″N 81°18′45″W / 29.89278°N 81.31250°WCoordinates: 29°53′34″N 81°18′45″W / 29.89278°N 81.31250°W |
| Built | 1793–1797 |
| Architectural style | Spanish Colonial and Renaissance Revival |
| NRHP reference # | 70000844 |
| Significant dates | |
| Added to NRHP | April 15, 1970 |
| Designated NHL | April 15, 1970 |
The Cathedral Basilica of St. Augustine is a historic cathedral in St. Augustine, Florida, and the seat of the Catholic Bishop of St. Augustine. It is located at Cathedral Street between Charlotte and St. George Streets. Constructed over five years (1793–1797), it was designated a U.S. National Historic Landmark on April 15, 1970. Originally established in 1565 and re-built in the 18th century, it is the oldest church in Florida.
During the mid-1560s, the Spanish Empire expanded from its Caribbean strongholds northward, to what is Florida today. The first colony which was founded and remained continuously occupied was St. Augustine. Spanish settlers began immediately to establish a Catholic church. The Roman Catholic Church was integral to the Spanish monarchy and to Spain's history. In fact, from the mid-1500s to the mid-1600s, the kingdom was in the midst of a Catholic Revival, in opposition to the Protestant Reformation.
The settlement's cathedral was completed rapidly. However, given that the early colonists were mostly sailors or soldiers and had little experience in architecture, the first Cathedral of St. Augustine was very simple, with a variety of materials and overall hurried confusion about the building. As the English would have it, the original parish would be short-lived. In 1586, an attack on St. Augustine led by Sir Francis Drake resulted in the cathedral burning down. As determinedly as they had done two decades previously, the colonists began rebuilding the cathedral and completed the second construction in a matter of months. Once again though, the cathedral was rather poorly constructed out of primarily straw and palmetto, which proved to be a very non-durable and temporary material in such a humid climate. Regardless of construction quality of the second structure, history would repeat itself in 1599; because the second cathedral suffered the same fate of burning, except this time the fire was due to natural conditions.
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