Earlier cathedrals stood on the site from 1553 and 1572, and a 1785 earthquake damaged the third, leading to a partial demolition decision in 1805. The Capuchin friar Domingo de Petrés, appointed by Archbishop Fernando Caycedo y Flórez, designed the reconstruction. Work began on February 11, 1807 and finished on April 19, 1823, with Nicolás León directing the work after Petrés died in 1811. An earthquake in 1827 required the towers to be rebuilt.
The style is neoclassical, on a Latin-cross basilica plan covering 5,300 square meters. The towers are 52 meters (171 ft) high and the atrium is 110 meters long. The facade uses Corinthian, Doric and Ionic orders. The organ has about 4,500 pipes.
It faces Plaza de Bolívar and is the seat of the Archbishop of Bogotá. It has been a national monument since 1975.
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