Catedral Metropolitana

The black and massive Cathedral of Rio de Janeiro (Portuguese: Catedral Metropolitana do Rio de Janeiro or Catedral de São Sebastião do Rio de Janeiro), is the seat of the archbishop of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. The current church was built between 1964 and 1979 and replaced a series of old churches that had served as cathedrals since 1676. It is located in the centre of the city. Conical in form and with a 96 metres (315 ft) internal diameter and an overall height of 75 metres (246 ft), it has a standing-room capacity of 20,000 people. The cathedral's four rectilinear stained glass windows soar 64 metres (210 ft) from floor to ceiling. Underneath the central church space lies the catacombs, where another smaller chapel is located, surrounded by several corridors, encircling the centre. All walls of these corridors are used for burial places.