Cathedral of Guarda was built in the middle ages and resembles in appearance more of a fortress than a temple. The building combines two styles, Gothic and Manueline style. The Cathedral was built on the initiative of king Joao I.

In principle, the history of the Cathedral of Guarda began in 1199, when king Sancho I received permission from the Pope to transfer the seat of the bishopric from the city Agitene (now - Idanha-a-Velha) to Guarda. The first Cathedral was built in Romanesque style, but was soon destroyed, and its place was built the Church. The Cathedral was rebuilt, but in the second half of the XIV century the Church was again destroyed during the war with Castile. Third and last, the construction of the Cathedral was begun in 1390 and was held under the leadership of Bishop Vaško de Lamego. The construction proceeded very slowly, and was completed over a century later, around 1540.

Were initially built the apse and nave of the Church in the Gothic style. Worked with project architects David Huguet and and Diogo Botas. Elements of the Manueline style in the architecture of the building brought out later, in the early sixteenth century. The main entrance to the Cathedral in the Manueline style, and the interior of the Cathedral is striking in its elegance. Special attention attracts the altarpiece, made of stone, brought from Ansan, an area in Portugal, known for its stone rocks. Worked on an altar-piece, Joao de Ruao, French sculptor. The ceiling of the transept is a fan of the Gothic arch, the nave and the main portal is decorated with spiral columns. In the chapel of the Cathedral is the tomb of the guardian of the values of the Cathedral, Joao de Pina.