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In 1892 a commission of ladies raised a note to the mayor Clemente Cayrol a note to build a larger religious building than the existing Santa Cecilia Chapel and in December of that same year they addressed a note to the provincial governor Dr. Julio A. Costa with the same objective. than the previous.



Previously in order to build a temple, in January 1893 the foundation stone was laid. The work was directed by the Engineer Pedro Benoit, who worked for free initially, being continued by his son Pedro J. after his death in 1887, maintaining a particularly Neo-Gothic style. The builders were Adán Pandolfi, head of the work, the foreman was Juan Lazzari who led a team of workers and artisans of mostly Italian nationality.



The first mass was held on February 28, 1897, the roof had already been finished. The opening mass was attended by neighboring authorities and vacationers. Finally the parish headquarters was established in this building in 1902 (until then it worked in the Santa Cecilia chapel).



On February 12, 1905, Bishop Terreros blessed the already completed part of the work. It continued with the construction of the sacristy, the parish house and the baptistery using a donation from Cecilia Peralta Ramos de Lesteche. Finally, in 1920, the crypt was built, located under the main altar.



Originally its name was San Pedro, in 1912 it was renamed Parroquia de Santa Cecilia and in 1924, already dedicated to both saints, it was nominated Minor Basilica. In 1957 the diocese of Mar del Plata was created and the temple became the seat of the Bishopric, with the current name (1905).

The stained glass windows of the Cathedral are all from France and donated by prestigious families from Mar del Plata. The central chandelier was brought from the Bristol Hotel in the city. The floor is of English mosaic and the ceiling is made of glazed tiles of different colors, all European. The organ is Italian and was built the same year as the founding of the Cathedral, with three manual keyboards with a total of 36 registers and 2500 pipes.



In the Main Altar you will find the relics, a piece of the Cross of Christ, the remains of Holy Martyrs and the remains of Monsignor Enrique Rau, first Bishop of Mar del Plata. On the right, inside the Temple, there is a replica of La Piedad.



The carillon is made up of five bronze bells that were cast in France, identified with the names of those who donated them: Clara, Inés, Ercilia, Ernestina and Josefina. It is the third largest cathedral in the province after the Cathedral of La Plata and the Basilica of Luján.









It is the cathedral of the city of Mar del Plata.





The Cathedral of Saints Pedro and Cecilia, declared ´´National Historical Heritage´´.

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