Question: What city is home to the oldest active cathedral in Texas?
Answer: San Antonio. The San Fernando Cathedral was founded in 1731 by a group of 16 families from the Canary Islands, and it was completed by 1750. In 1831, James Bowie was married in the cathedral, and during the Battle of the Alamo, Santa Anna raised a flag of “no quarter” from its bell tower. The cremated remains of the Alamo defenders are rumored to be interred in the cathedral.
San Fernando is the mother church of the Archdiocese of San Antonio. In 1987, Pope John Paul II visited the cathedral during the only papal visit to Texas. Today, over 5,000 people attend mass there every week.
