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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 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.

The uncertain nature of colonial life is dramatically reflected by this asymmetrical church-cum-fort, dedicated to the patron saint of soldiers and explosives. The church was vandalized by Sir Francis Drake’s pirates in 1586, and later damaged by a hurricane.

The massive mustard-colored parish church, with an imposing tree-lined plaza in front, was built in 1946 at huge public cost by the dictator Trujillo to honor his hometown.

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.

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).

A poignant reminder of the Jewish community that fled Nazi Germany to start a colony here, this modest one-room synagogue, with its distinctive Star of David motifs, is housed in a simple but attractive wooden building.

This red-roofed NonConformist church is made of prefabricated parts, sent from England by Methodists in 1823 to cater for English-speaking former slaves from North America who settled here under Haitian rule.

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).

This landmark church, with its tall turreted bell-tower features a Romanesque doorway, Gothic-style gargoyles, and an imitation rose window. Built in 1911, it has long-standing associations with the English-speaking cocolos.