Tag Archives: unesco

Iglesia – Fuerte Santa Barbara

Iglesia y El Fuerte de Santa Bárbara / Church and Fort of Santa Barbara

Iglesia de Santa Bárbara / Church of Santa Barbara now known as Catedral Castrense Santa Bárbara de los Hombres de la Mar

The Iglesia and Fuerte of Santa Barbara is one of the oldest churches built within a fort in the colonial period. It is a UNESCO World Historical Site. The church and fort were originally built separately. The church was constructed in 1537 and the fort was built later because the location was very strategic for the protection of the city of Santo Domingo.

La Catedral Castrense Santa Bárbara / Iglesia Santa Barbara | El Fuerte de Santa Bárbara / Fort of Santa Barbara |

La Catedral Castrense Santa Bárbara

On Tuesday February 4, 2020 the newly rescued and restored Iglesia de Santa Barbara became known as Catedral Castrense Santa Bárbara de los Hombres de la Mar, or the Santa Barbara de la Mar Cathedral. The Roman Catholic Church in the Dominican Republic announced that the Church of Santa Bárbara will now officially be the second Cathedral in the Ciudad Colonial. The Santa Barbara Cathedral is now the seat of the newly-named Military Diocese, Diócesis Castrense.

The newly renovated church with the statues of Santa Barbara and St. Francis of Assisi. La Catedral Castrense Santa Bárbara
The newly renovated church with the statues of Santa Barbara and St. Francis of Assisi. La Catedral Castrense Santa Bárbara

The statues in the front of the newly ordained Cathedral are the martyr Santa Bárbara de Nicomedia Patron Saint of armorers, artillerymen, architects. The second is St. Francis of Assisi the Patron saint of Animals, Merchants & Ecology.

The church is a single long building with five distinct sections, as can be seen from the outside of the building. The original church 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.

The interior of the church has eight distinct chapels each are from very distinct and are from different eras.

Church and Fort Santa Bárbara
Church and Fort Santa Bárbara

The building has been damaged many times throughout its history. Both the Fuerte and Iglesia were heavily damaged by a hurricane in 1591. Then earthquakes in 1673 and 1684 did extensive damage to the Iglesia. The Pirate Francis Drake did severe damage to the church when he invaded the island in 1586. Each time the church was repaired something new was added to the structure. It is interesting to note that the ceiling of this historical monument is still covered with the original bricks.

Juan Pablo Duarte was baptised in the Iglesia Santa Bárbara
Juan Pablo Duarte was baptised in the Iglesia Santa Bárbara

The Iglesia Santa Barbara boasts to be the place where Juan Pablo Duarte, The Father of the Nation, was baptized on February 14, 1813.

Interesting stories surrounding the Iglesia and Fort

There are many crypts under the church that recently have been discovered. There are also bones in the walls and a newly discovered cemetery in the Plaza surrounding the church.

“Las Vírgenes de Galindo” / “The Virgins of Galindo” – Three young sisters and their father were massacred in 1822 by Haitian invading forces. – Cesar Nicolás Penson said in his works “Cosas Añejas”

A story about The Restoration of the Iglesia and Fuerte Santa Bárbara on the Colonial Zone News Blog.

El Fuerte de Santa Bárbara / Fort of Santa Barbara

Fuerte de Santa Bárbara shooting platform
Fuerte de Santa Bárbara shooting platform

The Fort of Santa Barbara is the only fort with a church inside. The church was built first and later when the fort was built both structures were incorporated together. This is a very unique thing to have a fort and church entwined. The bunker for the fort is attached to the church.

The city of Santo Domingo was a walled city but the north section of the city did not have walls built until 1686. Building the fort in this furthest section of the city was an important step in the fortification of the city.

Fuerte de Santa Bárbara shooting platform cannons
Fuerte de Santa Bárbara shooting platform cannons

This fort was part of the third stage of protection for the city. Construction began in the early 1540’s and the final phase was completed in the early 1700’s. It was designed by an Italian builder and a Spanish stone cutter. The fort and church, as with most of the Spanish settlement, was built by slave labor by African and the Indigenous island dwellers.

The end of the 17th century brought constant attacks to all the Antilles Islands. This fort was a bunker facing the mouth of the river Ozama thus giving it an excellent view of the entry port. It was a very strategic location for the strength of the city of Santo Domingo.

Santa Barbara Today

Santa Barbara street art
Santa Barbara street art

The barrio of Santa Barbara where the fort and church are located is a good place to visit. It is a typical Dominican barrio that has a small town feel. There are some great art works and graffiti covering the walls of many of the buildings. Many of these buildings are in need of repair and are abandoned but the facades on many of these buildings are incredible.

Iglesia y Fuerte de Santa Bárbara side wall held up with bars
Iglesia y Fuerte de Santa Bárbara side wall held up with bars

The church, fort and plaza have been completely restored and is open for visiting. The renovation work which has taken many years to complete is beautifully done. The bronze monuments and statues in the Plaza and the Fuerte Santa Barbara are beautiful. The interior of the church, now officially is a Cathedral, is amazing. The stained glass windows, the statues and adornments inside the church and the chapels are a must see. This place is a place that everyone needs to visit when you are in the Colonial Zone.

Here is a picture that was taken February 17, 2019 of the renovation work being done. It is looking great.

Remodeling the Iglesia and  Fuerte Santa Barbara is coming along.
Remodeling the Iglesia and Fuerte Santa Barbara is coming along.

If you visit Santa Barbara make sure to climb up the ramp to the top of the shooting wall of the Fuerte Santa Barbara. The wall is lined with cannons and in the center is the giant statue of Saint Francis of Assisi. The catwalk along the wall is easy to climb and the side of the walk towards the river is blocked off. There is a very nice view of the Colonial City of Santo Domingo and the Rio Ozama from the top of the fort wall.

The view from high atop Fuerte de Santa Bárbara shooting platform
The view from high atop Fuerte de Santa Bárbara shooting platform

Location

: From Calle el Conde go south up Calle Isabel la Católica or Calle Arzobispo Meriño (both of these streets lead to this monument). Walk about 6 blocks almost to Av. Mella at the far end of the walled city, Colonial Zone.

Contact -809-682-3307

Sun Dial

Sun Dial/ Reloj de Sol

The historical sun dial, Reloj de Sol, is another of our UNESCO World Heritage sites. It was erected during the reign of Carlos III in 1753 and is one of the oldest sun dials in all the Americas.

The Reloj de Sol in the morning light

The sun dial was used as the official time-teller in Santo Domingo. The face of the dial could be seen from the government offices in the Casas Reales. This way the government officials were able to record the correct time on official documents.

The faces of the Reloj de Sol

The dial sits in the center of the Plaza Reloj de Sol. It sits atop a large stone pillar. There are two vertical dials or faces and a equatorial dial on top. The Southeast face is for the morning time to be seen and the Southwest side is for the afternoon hours. The large metal plate with its raised parts show the hours by the shaded markings.

On the very top of the pillar is the newer equatorial dial that was placed there in 1992. The original dial was lost during a hurricane.

Plaza Reloj de Sol, the sun dial and Casa Reales.

Location

: Calle Las Damas in the small Plaza Reloj de Sol in front of the Casa Reales.

Colonial Culverts

Alcantarilla Colonial/ Colonial Culverts

Buried beneath the colonial city is a very important historical sight. The first hydraulic sewage system from the Colonial period. These culverts are one of the firsts of the Americas. It is a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

These culvert tunnels are said to have run from Calle Restauración to the Santo Domingo Port. The tunnels zig-zag under the streets, businesses and homes in the old part of the city of Santo Domingo. They were not only used to move debris but also humans, animals and military unseen and undercover throughout the city.

Some of these tunnel systems were used for military purposes. Moving items and men, unseen, from place to place. It is claimed that there was a human moving tunnel that went from Parque Independencia to the Cathedral of Santo Domingo.

I was told that there was once, and maybe still is, an operating tunnel that connects the Cardinals’ quarters across from the Casa de Sacramento to the Cathedral. This way the Cardinal does not need to cross the street and he can move easily from home to church.

Construction of the first culvert began in 1502. It was named la Alcantarilla de Ovando/ The Ovando Culvert. This was the works for the entire southern part of the city. The construction was very crude and all the waste dropped directly into the river.

Alcantarilla Colonial tunnels under the Colonial City of Santo Domingo
Alcantarilla Colonial tunnels under the Colonial City of Santo Domingo

See the complete picture collection slide show if the Alcantarilla Colonial.

Building the second part of this system started in combination with the construction of the Atarazanas (Shipyards) in 1509. This second underground line was named la Alcantarilla de Atarazanas. The second culvert was a bit more advanced in its construction. This new line was built to move sewage, mainly animal debris, and did not drop into the river like the first line did.

Tunnel discovered under Calle Isabel la Católica during renovation
Tunnel discovered under Calle Isabel la Católica

The culverts are constructed of brick and stone. There are a series of archways that, as the construction progressed, became more sophisticated. The changes in the way the tunnels were constructed are very noticeable.

Most of these UNESCO Historical Site tunnels have long ago collapsed or been destroyed because of city construction. There are a few that still remain intact. When they were doing the Colonial Zone renovation in 2014 some of these tunnels were discovered under the streets of the city. They were explored and conserved before they replaced the streets that cover these historical sites.

Entrance to the culverts on Calle Isabel la Catolica
Entrance to the culverts on Calle Isabel la Catolica

See the complete picture collection slide show if the Alcantarilla Colonial.

Location

One of these tunnels has been kept up so people can see and walk through a small section. The entrance to this culvert underground tunnel is located outside of the Museo del Ron y la Caña. It is on Isabel la Católica street turning north from Colon Park. You need to ask inside the Museum about visiting the site.