Things to see and do Higüey

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.