[1][2] The district receives its name because of the Cathedral and the catholic Archdiocese of San José, the only archdiocese in the country which lies between its boundaries, along with several other government buildings.

[1] Catedral is on the center-east of the canton, and has a small portion of boundary with Montes de Oca Canton at its eastern part.

[4] This district comprises several "barrios" or neighbourhoods, like Bellavista, California (part of it), Carlos María Jiménez, Dolorosa (part of it), González Lahman, Güell, La Cruz, Lomas de Ocloro, Luján, Miflor, Naciones Unidas, Pacífico (part of it), San Cayetano (part of it), Soledad, Tabacalera, Vasconia.

Some of the buildings between its limits are: For the 2011 census, Catedral had a population of 12,936 inhabitants.

[7] The population density is the highest of the four downtown districts.