Dulce Nombre de Maria Cathedral-Basilica

In the middle of Hagatna (or Agana as some people may still prefer) sits this enormous church. You can’t miss it — it is the mainstay of Hagatna and is the most impressionable of all the Catholic churches on Guam. The «Cathedral» is the first Roman Catholic Church on Guam (this isn’t the original structure) and is revered quite highly. The church’s beginnings can be traced back to Padre Diego Luis San Vitores who obtained the land from Guam’s Chief Quipuha back in the 1600’s. The original structure has since been modified, added to and renovated since its inception. The church was named a Cathedral in 1912 and has since been bombed/​shelled when the U.S. was liberating the island from the Japanese occupation in the 1940’s.
You can tell which village has the most money just by looking at their church. Hagatna has some money! I’m told that there is a charge to enter the church nowadays (I didn’t confirm this as I was pressed for time)(plus really? you’re going to charge a fee to enter a CHURCH??). There is also a huge fee imposed if you want to have your church wedding here as compared to the other island churches.
I’ve always had fond memories of the Cathedral since I spent many hours cumulatively throughout high school coming here for mass since our private girls school was adjacent to the Cathedral. There is a sense of solemness and grace that is emitted throughout the church and regardless of your faith — there is a sense of peace that prevails here.
Legend has it that the statue of the patron saint of Hagatna — Santa Maria de Kamalen was found by a fisherman on Guam. That statue is kept here at the Cathedral as well as remains of the church’s hierarchy. Beneath the original first church of Hagatna several matua or high clan Chamorus such as the Maga’lahi Ke’puha (Chief Quipuha) are also buried here. As with other cathedrals around the world it houses a piece of the religious artifact of the original Cross. There is a small museum that showcases Guam’s history and culture (which is a fairly new addition to the church) as well as a small gift shop.
You’ll find several tour buses stop here on any given day as this is considered a landmark in Guam’s history. Adjacent to the Hagatna Cathedral is also the Plaza de Espana as well as the bronze statue of Pope John Paul II commemorating his 1981 visit to Guam.