The most beautiful religious buildings Dominican Republic

Straight out of a medieval postcard, the Iglesia San Estanislao, in the heart of Altos de Chavón and overlooking the river Chavón, was consecrated in 1979 by Pope John Paul II and is one of the most beautiful churches in the Dominican Republic. Its attractive portico houses a wooden statue of Stanislas, patron saint of Poland, carved in Krakow. An urn containing the saint's ashes was donated by Pope John Paul II to celebrate its inauguration. Church services are held here on Saturdays and Sundays at 5pm.

Of the first hospital in America, built between 1503 and 1508 by Nicolás de Ovando, in honor of Saint Nicholas of Bari, the patron saint of priests, only ruins remain today. But what ruins! The establishment, which functioned until it was demolished for security reasons at the beginning of the last century, housed the first chapel dedicated to the Virgin of Altagracia, patroness of the Dominicans. Nearby is the church of Nuestra Señora de la Altagracia (19th century).

It is part of the city's oldest heritage. This moving Victorian wooden church was brought from England piece by piece in 1823 to serve as a place of worship for the Wesleyan Methodist Church. For many years, the services were conducted in English and the name is a Dominican transformation of the word church. In 1861, the Gothic influenced building was transformed into a hospital. Today it has been restored and is home to the Evangelical Dominican Church.

On the edge of the central park, its white towers and the simplicity of its architecture give this cathedral a small provincial air. Dating from 1956, it replaced the original wooden church (16th century) destroyed by fire in 1863, intentionally set by the "Restorers". The construction of the present cathedral began in 1929 under the aegis of the architect Tancredo Aybar Castellanos. The religious building, flanked by two towers, is of Art Deco inspiration.

The chapel, dating from 1562, was part of the hospital of the same name - the country's first charitable hospital, and the second built in the colonial zone. It is said that it was here that the town's inhabitants planned the revolt against the Haitian occupation in 1844. Inside is the town's most beautiful altarpiece. Baroque in style, carved from mahogany, it depicts the Christ of San Andres, to whom miraculous powers are attributed. It is a precious testimony to the cultural heritage not only of the country, but also of the Caribbean.

The church of Nuestra Señora del Carmen is one of the smallest in the colonial zone. The chapel was built in the eighteenth century (from 1729). Its atrium, called the Plazoleta de la Trinitaria, served as a meeting place for the Dominican patriots who put an end to the Haitian domination. In front of the church, at number 255, a marble plaque has been placed on the façade of the house where the Trinitaria, the secret society that led to the country's independence, was founded.

The church of San Pedro Apóstol (dedicated to St. Peter the Apostle) is a beautiful building in the English Gothic style, whose yellow and white walls contrast nicely with the blue sky. It was first built in 1915 and rebuilt in 1930 after a cyclone. The stained glass windows are beautifully worked, and its confessionals are, as is the tradition, made of wood. The bell tower, visible from all over the city, serves as a landmark.

Only the ruins of the church built in the 16th century, destroyed by a cyclone in 1591 and then rebuilt, remain. Famous for having been built on the stone quarries which were used for the construction of the monuments of the colonial time, the church of Santa Barbara saw the baptism of Juan Pablo Duarte, hero of the Independence war. The facade is of Spanish colonial style with a baroque tendency. Inside we can see some beautiful baroque altarpieces. From the garden, one can enjoy a beautiful panoramic view of the colonial city.

Built in 1530 in honour of the Virgin Mary, this church is particularly sober. It houses a Masonic lodge and an institution of the Catholic Church, a unique cohabitation in the world. Today it is the headquarters of the Academy of Dominican History. Outside, you will observe a hundred-year-old tree in the church square and a fountain. The complex is still standing and has survived human and weather attacks through the centuries.

Here again, only a few ruins remain of the first monastery in the New World, built in 1512 by the monks of the Order of St Francis. The old well of San Francisco and a reservoir where water was stored for the inhabitants of the town still exist. The site of the tomb of Alonso de Ojeda, one of the most intrepid captains of the conquistadors, is still visible under the ruined vault. Cultural events and concerts on Sunday nights.

Built in the 16th century, in 1564, the church belongs to the monastery of the Dominican nuns who lived in the country until the beginning of the 19th century. It is known as the first monastic church in the country. The façade of this solid construction is in the Plateresque style with Baroque elements. Inside, the choir is topped with wooden beams. The first two poetesses of the New World, Sor Leonor de Ovando and Elvira de Mendoza, lived here.

The church and convent were built around 1510 by the missionaries of the Santo Domingo order. In 1538, the convent became the original seat of the first university in the New World. It was named St. Thomas Aquinas, and today it is known as the Autonomous University of Santo Domingo. It was also here that the famous sermon of Brother Antonio de Montesino ("I am the voice that cries out in the desert") was delivered, calling for more humane treatment of the natives.

Built in 1522, initially dedicated to Santa Ana, the convent was the first to house nuns, Poor Clares, in Santo Domingo and in the New World, before they left for Havana in 1796. The church houses the tomb of Don Rodrigo Pimentel, patron of the convent. A practical man, he used the convent to house his mistresses, according to legend. Today, in the desecrated building, there is a school. An architectural complex to visit.

It was here that the very first religious services in the capital were held, before the cathedral was built. It was later used as a private chapel by the Davilas, a prominent family in the Spanish colony. The single-bay brick chapel, topped by a three-arched bell tower, dates from the early 16th century and was restored in the 19th century. In the chapel lies the body of Don Juan Alejandro Acosta, a hero of the resistance against Haiti.

The church, the national sanctuary of Nuestra Señora de Las Mercedes, dates from the last century and is the object of numerous pilgrimages. It was at the foot of the Santo Cerro hill that the decisive battle for the conquest of the island took place. At the height of this battle, the outcome of which was uncertain, Nuestra Señora de Las Mercedes appeared, thus giving victory to the Spaniards against the troops of Guarionex. You can see the place where the Virgin appeared and where Christopher Columbus planted the cross given to him by the Queen when he left Palos.

The modern grey concrete building with its rounded forms looks more like a clumsy Lego assembly than a church. The Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception (or La Vega, as the locals call it) stands out in the city's traditional setting. Its heaviness and its dull appearance make it an incongruous object. Nevertheless, here is a monument that will not go unnoticed and that you will observe during your passage in La Vega. It was built between 1977 and 1992.

Built in the 19th century (from 1868 to 1895) in a mixture of gothic and neoclassic styles, the Santiago Apostol El Mayor cathedral has a mahogany altar as well as very beautiful stained glass windows made by the Dominican artist Rincón Mora. And as the Dominicans are not afraid of contradiction, the tomb of the tyrant Ulises Heureaux happens to be next to those of many heroes of the Restoration War! One of the most imposing buildings in the country.

This church dedicated to San Dionisio, also known as Sanctuario de Nuestra Señora de La Altagracia (not to be confused with the much more recent basilica), is one of the oldest religious temples in the Dominican Republic. Built between 1569 and 1572 in a style typical of the time (a nave, a transept, a polygonal apse and a barrel vault), it has undergone some renovations over the centuries. The feast of Our Lady of Altagracia, patroness of the Dominicans, is celebrated here and in the basilica on January 21.

An international architectural competition was launched in 1947 for the creation of a new place of worship that could hold 3,000 worshippers. The winners, two French architects, A.-J. Dunoyer de Segonzac and Pierre Dupré, laid the first stone in 1954, followed in 1968 by the magnificent stained glass windows created in Chartres. Finally, on January 21, 1971, the complex was inaugurated and declared a cathedral, basilica and national monument.