On the corner of bustling Plaza Murillo stands one of La Paz’s most impressive religious structures, the Metropolitan Cathedral of Our Lady of Peace. In 1622, construction of the Cathedral first began, taking 70 years to complete. Initially, the building was made from stone, brick and lime, however in 1831 cracks started to appear threatening to collapse the Cathedral. In 1831 the decision was made to demolish the building completely. In 1834 several taxes were imposed in the department of La Paz in order to raise the 30,000 pesos a year needed to reconstruct the Cathedral. Construction on the current Cathedral began on March 24, 1835, led by architect Manual Sanahuja. The Cathedral was officially opened in 1925 as part of the centenary of the founding of the Republic of Bolivia. However, work remained to be done. Furnishing of the interior continued until 1932. The building itself was not completely finished until 1989, over 150 years since construction began, when the two lateral towers on the outside of the Cathedral were added to coincide with a visit by Pope John Paul II.