At the eastern end of the Brian Lara Promenade in downtown Port-of-Spain you can find one of the oldest Catholic churches in the city, the Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception, with its two grand towers framing the entrance. On March 25th, 1816, the foundation stone for the present Cathedral was laid by the country’s first civilian Governor Sir Ralph Woodford, and the building was finally completed in 1836. The Cathedral was built in the shape of the Latin Cross and the walls are made of limestone quarry from the nearby Laventille Hills.

One of the unique features of this cathedral is the crypt beneath the church that houses the remains of more than 15 high ranking Catholic Church officials, including Archbishops. Bodies have been interred from as early as 1828 with the most recent being Archbishop Anthony Pantin in the year 2000, the first local Archbishop of Port-of-Spain.