Catedral de Nuestra Señora de la Encarnación

The cathedral stands in the very centre of Encarnación and is the main church of Itapúa's capital. It is the mother church of the Diocese of Encarnación, created as a territorial prelature in 1957 and raised to a diocese by a bull of Pope John Paul II. The current structure is the result of a long effort: work began in 1913, resumed between 1928 and 1938 and the church opened for worship in that last year. Its history goes back to a church from 1718, on the site of today's Plaza de Armas, and another from 1848. Its two towers dominate the city centre and are visible from several blocks away. Its lighting was improved for the Bicentennial celebrations. It is a short and natural stop on a walk through downtown Encarnación, especially during Holy Week and on 25 March, the city's founding date. The diocese began as a territorial prelature on 21 January 1957 and was raised to a diocese on 19 April 1990 through Pope John Paul II's bull "Crevisse iam".

The town of Itapúa had been founded by San Roque González de Santa Cruz on 25 March 1615. After becoming Villa Encarnación in 1843, the city grew with the railway (1913) and European immigration. The current cathedral, begun in that same year of 1913, accompanied that growth.