The large and beautiful Metropolitan Cathedral of the Holy Savior (San Salvador Cathedral) is on a historical site where a small colonial Temple of Santo Domingo had stood for several centuries. Unfortunately, it was destroyed as a result of the earthquake of 1873. So the city was left without a temple. Then it was decided to build a new cathedral. In 1878, the government granted the residents' requests and increased the construction area.

10 years later, in 1888, a simple wooden cathedral appeared there. It was supposed to be a temporary shelter for the faithful. However, the temporary church became almost permanent: the wooden church had been there until it was destroyed by fire in 1951.

This place was empty for two years. There were competitions for the architectural solution of the new cathedral. The foundation stone of the temple was laid in 1956. However, the completion of the construction was almost 40 years ahead.

During these 40 years, a huge number of events took place in the country. Some of them were firmly connected with the construction of the temple. Since 1977, the cathedral has been served by an archbishop Óscar Romero, a human rights activist. He was loved and appreciated not only by the parishioners but also by ordinary people. In 1980, the important person for the city died. And during his funeral, a bomb exploded in the square next to the temple. 44 people were killed. So this diversion became the starting point for a revolution in the country.

Of course, it was impossible to complete the construction work at that turbulent time. The construction of the temple resumed only a few years later. However, ill-luck came to it again: the earthquake of 1986 severely damaged the new temple. After that, there was another pause in construction for several years. The last stage of the construction began in 1990. And finally, the main cathedral of the city was completed in 1999.

A unique feature of this temple was the mosaic work of Fernando Llort. He called his work the Harmony of my people because it combined pre-Columbian and Christian iconography. Now, this magnificent panel is the cultural heritage of the country.