VISIT US
Newsgroup Chat Newspaper Tourist Board Map of Costa Rica
Embassy of Costa Rica Costa Rican White House Touristic site Cocori Uniwersytet Kostaryki Costa Rican Home Pages



Historia
Theaters and cinemas
Churches
Museums
Hotels
Municipal Parks
Monuments
Buildings
Other places
Squares
Quarters (barrios)
Universities and schools
Calendary
Institutions
Write to me!
Guest-Book
Other`s author`s sites Costa Rica from A to Z Hitoy-Cerere Biological Reserve SLUPSK (Poland)
CHURCHES

Cathedral Metropolitana -[Av.Central-2/calle 2-4]. It has neoclasic, stone structure and is the biggest church in the capital. It was set up in 1871. (On the same place previously stood the chapel dated to 1827, which became to be a cathedral in 1850). It was designed by Eusebio Rodriguez. It`s destinguished by small corrugated dome, cased windows and corinthian columnes. Its interior has pattern, tiled floor and plenty of reliefs. A chapel placed on the north side of the cathedral has the biggest number of pictures, but is almost always closed. Lately, the cathedral was put to the detailed renovation works, during which all destructions made after the earthquake were repaired. In 1983 the cathedral was visited by Pope Juan Pablo II. That event is commemorated by marble plate. In the underground are burnt two first arsbishops: Llorent and Bernardo A. Thiel, and former president Tomas Guardia. In the south side, there is a XVIII-century Archbishop Palace. In the cathedral garden there is the statue of bishop Bernardo A. Thiel.

Church of La Merced - [Av. 2-4/calle 12]. It`s built in Gothic style with neoclassical elements. The oldest church in San Jose. It was designed by Lesmes Jimenez Bonnefil. It`s destinguished by sculpted wooden ceiling, slender spires and arched windows. It`s faced by high, ornate, concrete wall. The main entrance is a part of a high tower topped by the pointed arch dome. It`s fronted by Braulio Carillo Park. In 2002 the Ministry of Culture gave 360 mln colones for the renovation of its norhtern nave.


Church of La Soledad - [Av.4/calle 9]. It`s an ecletic structure with two simetrical towers flanking a central atrium dated to 1909. In the niches of both towers are put the statuettes. In the center part of fasade there are two columns and the steps that lead to the interior. It`s destinguished by stain glasses brought from Switzerland. Its bells and organs date to the beginning of the century. It`s fronted by a tiny square with Guanacaste tree and a bust of Carlos Guardia. There the concerts are performed. The high ceiling is propitious to good acoustics.

Church of El Carmen -[Av. Central/calle 3]. It`s one nave church that has short, two-sided roof and three big arched entrances, separated from each other by huge doubled pilasters. It doesn`t have the significal front-wall. It has a protuberant mould and ornate fronton. It`s grayish-white. Firstly the terrain belonged to brothers and sisters of Geronima y Maria Concepcion Quiros y Castro. The first church in that place was built in 1841. In 1860`s, when in Costa Rica was a cholera epidemy, and people promised to themselves that if it will pass away, they will carry the statuette of Black Christ. It was ordered in Guatemala, is made of mahogany and is put on the altar. In the last sunday of August it is carried in parade.

Templo Biblico -[Av.2-4/calle 6]. It`s a corner, two-storeyed pink-creame building. It has rectangular windows (largest on the first ground and tiny on upper one). It`s devided by pilasters and is topped by simple attic (some windows of upper ground are devided by large inscriptions). The main arch-entrance is put on calle 6. Along that is also the larger part of building which has same-size windows and is topped by triangular fronton.

Church of Santa Teresita -[Av. 9/calle 29]. It was built in 1930`s. One nave, white church. Above the main entrance is hang the balcony supported on each corner by four columned structures. It`s accented with high quite narrow dome in back side. The fasade wall is devided by pilasters and stood out with rectangular windows topped by triangular tops. On the roof is put the figure of Santa Teresita.

Church of Dolorosa - [Av.10-12/calle Central]. It`s one-naved copy of San Juan cathedral in Puerto Rico. It was made in neobaroque style. It`s destinguished with arched arcades devided each other by doubled columns. On the frontons on the sides of dome there are statuettes of angels. It is adorned by balusters and is destinguished also by the clock put under the dome.


If you have any questions, feel free to write to the owner of the page Rafal C. Piechocinski and visit also the biggest web-page about Costa Rica in Europe at http://www.kostaryka.org/central2489.