San Fernando Cathedral - Flag, Vows and Remains

San Fernando Cathedral - Flag, Vows and Remains

Photo: Nicolas Henderson from Coppell, Texas, CC BY 2.0 (cropped)

A stop on San Antonio River Walk and the Alamo, a free self-guided tour.

San Fernando Cathedral is home to one of the oldest continuously active religious communities in Texas, founded by the Canary Islanders in 1731. Their first church was built between 1738 and 1750, and its old stone walls still form the sanctuary at the back of today's building. The tall Gothic Revival front you see was added from 1868 by architect Francois Giraud.

The church is tied to the Alamo story from several sides. Jim Bowie married Ursula de Veramendi, daughter of a leading Tejano family, here in 1831. In February 1836, Santa Anna is reported to have raised a red flag from its tower, signaling that no quarter would be given. After the battle, Juan Seguin, a Tejano officer who had left the Alamo as a courier during the siege, gathered the defenders' remains for burial.

Inside, near the entrance, a marble tomb is said to hold remains of Alamo defenders. That is a long local tradition, and historians still debate it. If a Mass is in progress, please visit quietly or come back later.

Getting here: Cross to the west side of Main Plaza; the cathedral faces the plaza.

Did you know?: Pope John Paul II visited San Fernando Cathedral in 1987.

Photo op: From the middle of Main Plaza, shoot the whole cathedral front with its twin towers; at dusk the stone glows.

More on Wikipedia: Juan Seguin · James Bowie

Stops on this tour

  1. The Alamo - A Mission Before a Battlefield
  2. Alamo Plaza - Inside the Old Walls
  3. River Walk - A Bend Saved from Pavement
  4. Hemisfair - A World's Fair and Its Tower
  5. La Villita - The Little Village
  6. Arneson River Theater - A Stage Across the Water
  7. Main Plaza - Where San Antonio Became a Town
  8. San Fernando Cathedral - Flag, Vows and Remains
  9. Casa Navarro - A Tejano Founder's Home
  10. Market Square - El Mercado and Pan Dulce
  11. Spanish Governor's Palace - The 1749 Keystone
  12. Majestic Theatre - Stars on the Ceiling