The Iglesia de Santa Cruz is the oldest church in Cádiz and the city's cathedral from 1602 until 1838, which is why everyone still calls it the Catedral Vieja. It stands on Plaza Fray Félix in El Pópulo, the medieval quarter, a short walk from the Roman Theatre.
Visiting status: closed since January 2026
The church has been closed since 6 January 2026 because of the poor condition of the building, and it has opened its doors only three times since, for the processions of five brotherhoods. Local press reported in October 2026 that it will not reopen in time for Holy Week 2027, and that the Bishopric is still drafting the rehabilitation project. In June 2026 the Diputación de Cádiz approved €498,650.64 in aid towards the works.
No current official opening hours or admission fee are published, so do not plan an interior visit. The exterior, the square and the surrounding streets are still worth the walk, and the city's own walking route pairs the church with the Roman Theatre.
Confirm the status before you make the trip
The church has been closed since January 2026 with no reopening date announced. Ask at the tourist office or check local news first, and treat the visit as an exterior stop within an El Pópulo walk.
From mosque site to cathedral
Alfonso X ordered a church built here around 1262-1263, over the remains of an Arab mosque, intending to be buried in it. He was buried in Seville instead. Sources differ on whether 1262 or 1263 marks the foundation, so treat either date with a pinch of salt.
The medieval building did not survive the English and Dutch fleet that burned Cádiz in 1596. Only the entrance arch and the ribbed vault of the baptismal chapel were saved. Rebuilding began in 1597 to a design by the military engineer Cristóbal de Rojas; it was finished and consecrated on 15 June 1602 and opened for worship on 29 May 1603.
What the building is like
The plan is a rectangular hall with a false transept and three aisles divided by Tuscan columns, under a hemispherical dome on pendentives. The bell tower stands apart from the church and has been compared to a minaret. The Genoese community's chapel holds a marble altarpiece.
The church was the cathedral of the Diocese of Cádiz y Ceuta until the new cathedral was completed in 1838. For the later building, see Cádiz Cathedral. The Old Cathedral was recognised as a Bien de Interés Cultural (Monumento) by Decreto 263/2009 of 26 May.
Semana Santa and the brotherhoods
Five brotherhoods have their canonical seat here: Perdón, Sanidad, Santo Entierro, Las Aguas and Medinaceli. With the church shut, their 2027 processions are due to leave from the Cathedral, the Oratorio de San Felipe Neri and San Francisco.
Before you go
- Check the current status locally before making a special trip: reopening dates have not been announced.
- Combine it with the Roman Theatre and the lanes of El Pópulo for a compact medieval Cádiz walk.
- Expect the church to be viewed from outside only.