The temple, built in a colonial Gothic style, was constructed in the year 1600 by the master from Santafé, Cristóbal Aranda, based on plans elaborated by Licentiate Luís Enríquez, an auditor of the royal court; plans later refined by Architect Father Cayetano García Tolosa. It has the privilege of being called the “CATHEDRAL CHURCH” since 1690 when Monsignor Fray Ignacio de Urbina, Archbishop of Bogotá, declared it so by decree. Its architecture is admired, blending the fusion of two styles: the colonial style native to the American colonies and the adopted European Gothic style; its interior retains the colonial style.