The Santa Iglesia Catedral Metropolitana de Badajoz (or Catedral de San Juan Bautista), which has metropolitan status, is located in the Plaza de España.

After the Christian conquest of the city in 1230 by King Alfonso IX of León, Fray Pedro Pérez was appointed bishop. During the beginning of his bishopric, the old mosque was used as the city's cathedral with the dedication of Santa María del Castillo. Two years after the end of the conquest, the need to build a cathedral was raised and it was not until the middle of the 13th century that work began. The site was chosen as the site of an old Visigothic or Mozarabic church located in the Campo de San Juan, a plot of land outside the citadel.

In 1276 the cathedral was consecrated under the patronage of Saint John the Baptist, although the construction work had not yet been completed. The construction of the fundamental aspects of the building continued until the 15th century, with successive alterations and additions being made during the 16th and 17th centuries that gave the cathedral its current appearance, and it was not completely finished until the 18th century.

From the outside, and given the frontier nature of the city, Badajoz Cathedral resembles a fortress: it has strong walls, battlements and a sober and powerful tower where the bell tower is located.