The Metropolitan Cathedral of Saint Sebastian or Catedral Metropolitana de São Sebastião in Rio is, pardon my French, goddamn awful.

At first.

I had noticed that conical stub of a building already from my trip to the top of the Sugar Loaf and thought of it as some kind of massive Congress Centre, the likes of which have rendered cities around the globe so ugly. Think Centre Borschette in Brussels, just uglier.

When I went through Lapa the other day I was close, but on the back side of it, could not figure out how to get around, and the area seemed run down, so why bother?

Today, on my way from the Metro up to Santa Teresa, I gave it a second chance. The form is interesting, but the whole setting and surrounding just doesn’t not work.

High-risers like the headquarters of Petrobras (with a little manifestation of fishermen in front), a huge car park all around the Cathedral that makes you want to run, not linger or even get somewhat in the mood for some spirituality…

One single, abandoned tree on its back side… Its concrete skeleton of a bell tower oddly detached and overshadowed by the next glass tower…

But once inside.. Damn, I didn’t bring the right camera! What a building. The conical structure creates a huge round space, the altar nearly in the centre, and rows of wooden benches in circles around it. It is said it hold 20.000 people (!), Twenty thousand, albeit standing. I can’t really believe that.

It is dark inside, except for the four massive rows of stained glass windows and a cross-like roof that lets in some light. Decoration is minimal, there is a black stone relief integrated into the grey concrete surroundings, there are a couple of modern statues, that’s it.

And, oddly, a white horse carriage and a couple of wooden furniture here and there, surely of some significance, but somewhat lost in the vast expense of the dome.

Anyway, I was really impressed by it, and I’m glad I gave it a second chance.