Abstract

This thesis examines the architectural and historical evolution of the Jesuit Church that was located in Havana (Cuba). It is a "hands on" study that deals with the building and the available archival material. Construction on the church started in 1749 and it was halted with the expulsion of the Jesuits from the Spanish overseas dominions in 1767. The unfinished building was given over in 1772 for use as the Parish Church of the city and work on the fabric of the building was resumed. Work was completed in 1777 and in 1793 the building was formally raised to the rank of Cathedral. The thesis then follows the development of the structure through the nineteenth century, on into the late 1940s when it underwent a major process of repair and restoration, and through to the end of the millennium. The thesis also deals with the urbanistic interrelationships of the Plaza de la Catedral on which the Collegiate Church was located and with the empowered residences that surrounded the old square. It looks, as well, at the evolution of the Jesuit College (of which the church was an integral component) from its founding in 1727 through to the present. Comments have also been included on the precedence of the design and the architect of the original structure. The paper concludes with several suggestions for the conservation of the available archival material and to function as a guide to help further any future investigations. A timeline is also provided that links all of the available archival material into a chronological relationship of events.