Catedral Metropolitana Santa María de la Encarnación. This the first cathedral in the Americas originally was a hut made of royal palms in 1514. It now takes up an entire block.

     Diego Columbus set the first stone and since then many additions and changes have been made to the original structure. Spanish workmen began building the cathedral but left to search for gold in Mexico. This second church was much better, it was made of wood and the roof was palm branches. If there was rain there was no service. At the end of 1537 the roof was rebuilt the way we see it today. The front is dated 1540 and was completed in 1544. In 1547 the construction of the tower was stopped because it brought attention to the Fortress. The church was worked on and designed by so many different people. This is why so many architectural styles can be seen in one building. There are Roman style arches and Gothic style vaults with some Baroque ornaments thrown in for good measure. All this only adds to the buildings originality and powerfully dominating look. It is built with the coraline blocks, as with many of the Colonial era structures, this building has been able to withstand the ravagings of time and humans. The building has been used as a slaughterhouse and a prison. It was a wine and provision storage facility used by the pirates when it was ransacked in 1586 by Sir Francis Drake.

     When you enter the cathedral you will feel a calmness come over you. Seeing the interior for the first time is a real experience. It is so quiet, relaxing, and overpowering and yet it has such a reverent feeling. There are many different chapels inside the large structure. The stained glass is magnificent. The mahogany alter, the carved animals, the statues, the high hammered silver alter, it is all so beautiful. It is even said that Columbus remains were kept there until they were moved to the Faro a Colón..

     Cost: Free. Mon.-Sat. 9-4; Sun. masses begin at 6 AM  Proper dress required

     Directions: El Conde at Arzobispo Meriño, Colonial Zone at Parque Colon

Convento e Iglesia de los Dominicos/ Monastery and Church of the Dominican Order

The Dominican Order arrived in Hispaniola in 1510 and started building their monastery.

In 1538, the first university of the New World was founded here.

Located across the Ozama river (easily seen from the Plaza de España) is one of the first chapels of the New World. It was constructed on the original land where Bartholomew Columbus founded the Villa of Santo Domingo in 1498. This location was where the first colony was located. This chapel, built in 1544, was constructed of wood and beams from the ships and straw. It was dedicated to La Virgen de la Gente de Mar/ The Virgin of Seafarers (Sailors). In 1544 Father Fray Bartolome de Las Casas heard Mass there when stopped in Santo Domingo, during his trip to Chiapas, where he had been appointed bishop.

This area was abandoned when the water quality was found to be better on the other side of the Rio Ozama. They moved across the river to the city that is now Santo Domingo that Governor Frey Nicolas de Ovando founded.

This building was used as a military compound during the Haitian occupation. It was also used for smuggling during the 17th and 18th centuries.

Some of the original Taino Indians that adapted to the Spanish way of life lived in this area.

Much research has been done at this location and it is found that the lime stone floors are dated from the 15th century. Found were Spanish potteries and a container for holy oils, and many skeletons dated from many different eras.

The Brotherhood of Remedies and of Carmen, a small group of parishioners, wanted to have a small chapel for their meetings. They built their small chapel on a plot of land owned by the San Andres Hospital.

In 1729 the chapel was enlarged. The main entrance door dates back to this period. It was christened the Plazoleta de la Trinitaria and was used as a meeting ground for the Dominicans who led the revolt against the Haitians who occupied the city in 1844.

Inside this chapel there is a wooden sculpture of the Nazareno (Nazarene) who is a type of Christ.

Location: Calle Arzobispo Nouel beside the Capilla de San Andrés.

Iglesia y Convento de las Mercedes/ The Church and Convent of Our Lady of Mercy

This church is the works of Rodrigo de Liendo. Construction began in 1549 and finished in 1555. It was known as one of the most distinguished temples in the Indies. This is one of the most loved temples by the Dominican people.  They come here to pray to the Virgen de las Mercedes. Originally built as a gothic type temple, with a baroque altar and lateral ornamentations of silver. It also included sever smaller chapels. The church underwent several changes and remodeling. In 1635 two gothic arcs were added to enhance the dome ceiling. A bell tower was also added to the structure. In 1910 the back part of the church was changed into a convent. The building could not stand up to the earthquakes so the walls were strengthened which, in turn, made the building lose much of its original gothic splendor.

Directions: Calle Mercedes

Convento y Iglesia de Santa Clara/ Convent and Church of Santa Clara

The Clarisas sisters, nuns of the Order of San Francisco came to Hispanola in 1552

This was the first convent for nuns in the Americas. The property where this convent is located were donated by Alvaro de Castro the public prosecutor of the Inquisition. The convent was built first then the church. The building was very plain consisting of a smooth, non-descript outer wall and a very simple entryway. The pirate Drake destroyed most of these buildings but in 1648 Don Rodrigo Pimentel, a patron of the convent, reconstructed them. 

The Santa Clara nuns left the island in 1796 when they emigrated to Havana, and the convent was thus abandoned. *The nuns of Santa Clara were called Clarisas.

Directions: Calle Padre Billini

This is one of the oldest churches with a fort in the colonial period. The church and fort were built separately with the church being constructed in 1537. The first building was made of royal palm. Later, in 1537, it was rebuilt in stone (the blocks were quarried from this very site as were the stone blocks for many monuments and buildings of the era). It was always a simple church. Heavily damaged by the hurricane in 1591, then by the earthquakes of 1673 and 1684. Each time it was repaired something new was added until it is what it is today. The church is a single long building with five distinct sections as can be seen from the outside of this building. The bunker for the fort is included in this building. The ceiling is still covered with the original bricks. When the fort was built both structures were incorporated together. This is a very unique thing to have a fort and church  entwined. The church boasts to be the place where Juan Pablo Duarte, The Father of the Country, was baptized.

     Contact: 809-682-3307

     Directions: Av. Mella, between Calle Isabel la Católica and Calle Arzobispo Meriño (both of these streets lead to this monument), Colonial Zone

Iglesia y Convento Regina Angelorum/ Church and Convent of Regina Angelorum

This is the first building made exclusively for the Dominican nuns (monjas dominicanas). When these six sisters arrived in 1560 there was only one convent in the city, that of Santa Clara, belonging to the Franciscan sisters.These six Dominican nuns first place of worship was nothing more than a plain room. By 1567 they had begun construction on a more appropriate temple on land donated by Maria de Arana.

     The first female poets in the New World, Leonor de Ovando and Elvira de Mendoza, lived here also

     The original structure was replaced with the building that is there now. This newer temple, had its foundation laid in 1714 and was completed in 1722. It is one of the best preserved in the city. And also one of the most beautiful with its gothic style vaults and a ornamentation of the 17th century. Inside this beautiful church is a wall of silver near one of its alters.

     In December 1795 the nuns had to emigrate to Havana (Cuba) because of the Treaty of Basel. The surviving nuns  return to the country in 1820. In 1866 President Cabral turned the building over to Father Billini (his remains are located here) and he started the School San Luis de Gonzaga. The convent was reconstructed and turned into an institute for the ladies of Salomé Ureña. Since 1916 it has been occupied by the Mercedarias nuns.

Hours: Monday thru Saturday 9 to 6 To enter you must as permission of the nuns that live here.

Directions: Calle Padre Billini and José Reyes

  Capilla de los Remedios/ Chapel of Remedies

Francisco Davila, whom at this time was the richest man on the island, built this small chapel. It was his private chapel and was to house the remains of his family. Damaged many times throughout history (by a lightning strike in 1853 and a hurricane in 1930) and has always been rebuilt. The interior structure holds a small temple in the shape of a cross with a vaulted brick ceiling. The buildings architectural style is Mudejar, created by the Muslims. The outside of the chapel has a bell tower made of brick where the families' coat of arms used to be. This is where the body of Francisco Davila is interred.

Directions: Las Mercedes runs into Las Damas Street

This Rococo style building was constructed between 1714 and 1745. It was originally the Convento de San Igancio de Loyola for the Jesuits.Later in its history it became a tobacco warehouse, a theater, a government office building, among others.

This building with beautiful vaulted central roof with magnificent murals covering its ceiling was designed to be the Panteón as ordered by Trujillo in the early 1950's. Remodeled to house the remains of some of the Dominican Republics heroes. Of course, Trujillo planned on having himself placed there when he died but it did not happen (more information on Trujillo).

The facade of the building has the Dominican Coat of Arms beautifully sculpted. The copper chandelier in the center of the building, donated by Francisco Franco (a Spanish head of state), is quite elegant. Along with the large dome there also are smaller domes on either side dividing the inside into what seems like small chapels.

*Beware the tour guides outside the building. They tell you that it does not cost money to enter. But they do want money for their guide services, which they do not tell until the tour is finished.)

Directions: between Calle las Damas and Las Mercedes open to visitors 9 to 4:30 daily - proper dress required

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Originally part of the Iglesia y Convento de la Orden Dominica Entre la capilla y la Iglesia this church, as with most churches here, was first constructed of wood while the desired bricks and building materials were collected. As per norm, the convent was ready first, it seems that this is important to have a place for the people to live while the church is being built. In the mid 1500's Padre Fray Bartolomé de las Casas was in charge of this church. When Frances Drake arrived he severely damaged this building. The church was later rebuilt. It is said that some of the original construction materials that were so painstakingly gathered, were used in the construction of many of the surrounding homes.

     This is where Eugenio María de Hostos founded he Esucela Normal at the end of the 19th century. It was a teacher training school.

Built in 1573 to be a resource to mediate with and convert the Indians.It fast became a hospital for persons of limited resources, in simpler terms, the poor and destitute, who suffered a multitude of contagious diseases, mainly lepers. There were 20 beds. In 1650 the hospital was divided into sections for the men and ladies. The men got two rooms and the ladies got one room The hospital was not a pleasant place. As the city grew it was used less because of the proximity of the diseased humans that were treated within the walls to the non diseased persons living close by. The building was ruined in the earthquake of 1751 after which it was called the Chapel of the Raggedy Beggars" until it was finally rebuilt in 1759. During the restoration of the almost lost building, many skeletons were found. Many of them showed evidence of leprosy while others showed no traces of the disease. Many had other diseases and some had no traces of any abnormality. (more about the fort where the church is located)

Directions: Juan Isidro Perez and Santomé

This was the second hospital to be built in the colonial city of Santo Domingo. The use of brick as its major building material made this chapel a marvel. Built next to the Hospital and Chapel Padre Billini, both seem to blend together to almost form one structure. The wooden sculpture inside the chapel is very unique. Here, it is told, is the place where the people of Santo Domingo conspired and planned their revolt over the Haitian occupation in 1844.

Calle Arzobispo Nouel and Calle Jose Reyes.

A tribute of love, recognition and eternal memory

Rebuilt in the 1930's in an Elizabethan Gothic style. The wall of this church was once shared with the Hospital San Nicolás de Bari, the ruins that run along side this church. Inside, the decoration is strongly influenced by Arab and Spanish art. Some of the art includes the Sol de Oro / Sun of Gold, a model of  the star that announced Christ's birth, and a beautiful alter

Location: Las Mercedes and Luperon, Colonial Zone, Santo Domingo

The Virgin of Altagracia is the protector saint of the Dominican Republic, celebrated yearly on January  21. More information on Alragracia.

Iglesia de San Miguel

The first mention of this church was in 1650. It was almost entirely destroyed in the big earthquake as with many of the buildings. In 1765 it was used as a parish during the construction boom of this era. It is a simple construction, a not so good attempt at Baroque style

Directions: José Reyes and Juan Isidro Pérez

  Ermita de San Antón/ Hermatige of San Anton

This building was one of the originals built by order of Nicolas Ovando in 1502. The building was set afire

by Sir Francis Drake and then destroyed by the hurricane San Zenón in 1930. There is a small plaza that is near this chapel and many homes are built around and through where the old walls stood. It has been rebuilt according to the old pictures of this, one of the oldest chapels in the city. It sits along the walls of the fort San Francisco which connected the Monistary and the fort of the same name

Directions: Vicente Celestino Duarte and Hostos - Plaza de San Antón

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