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Dominican Republic : Architecture

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  • The Republic’s biggest church was designed in the 1950s to replace the smaller original as the site of the annual January 21 pilgrimage in honor of the Virgin of Altagracia, the nation’s patron saint (see Virgen de Altagracia).

  • Marooned on the industrial eastern side of the Ozama River, this tiny chapel is a reminder of the country’s original capital. The existing church is a simple whitewashed structure, with three brick portals, and dates from the 19th century, but the first wooden chapel was built in 1498.

  • The building, with a fine courtyard, housed a Jesuit-run school of rhetoric.

  • Catedral de Santiago Apóstol, Santiago

    Look out for the fine carvings on the 1895 cathedral’s mahogany doors, showing biblical scenes associated with St. James. Although it’s often closed, the three-aisled interior is worth a visit for the marble tomb of Ulíses Heureaux (see Ulíses Heureaux (1845–1899)), and its modern windows by contemporary artist Rincón Mora.

  • Catedral San Felipe, Puerto Plata

    A symmetrical blend of old and new, the recently renovated cathedral dominates the historic center of town, with its two whitewashed, reinforced-concrete towers visible from afar (see San Felipe Cathedral).

  • Catedral Santa María de la Encarnación, Santo Domingo

    The oldest cathedral in the Americas, this imposing building is a treasure trove of Gothic, Baroque, and Renaissance styles, with a mahogany altar, elaborate friezes and sculptures, and stained-glass windows. There are 14 separate chapels inside, one of which housed the remains of Columbus.

  • This building became the first university in the Americas in 1538.

  • The Americas’ first hospital, now in ruins, was built in the shape of a cross.

  • This Victorian church is famous for its miracle cures.

  • The church has a distinctive mahogany pulpit.

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