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CATHEDRAL OF SAN JUAN BAUTISTA

April 12, 2014 By Howard Kramer 4 Comments

San Juan, Puerto Rico

(photo from Wikipedia)

(photo from Wikipedia)

There are many different churches in America that bear some claim to being the oldest.  However, the truly oldest church on American soil is the Cathedral of San Juan Bautista on the island Puerto Rico.  Although located in American territory, it is not technically located within the fifty United States.  Therefore, depending on one’s point of view, the claim of oldest may or may not be valid.  But there is no doubt of its antiquity, or its historical importance, or the fact that it is one of the most popular tourist destinations on the island of Puerto Rico.

History

The island of Puerto Rico was discovered by Columbus on his second voyage in 1493, and was established as one of the first major colonies of the Spanish empire in the Caribbean.  The colonial capital was established at San Juan, and by the early 16th century was the site of a bishopric.  The first church, a wooden structure, was built in 1521, less than three decades after the discovery of the New World.

(photo from Wikipedia)

(photo from Wikipedia)

After a hurricane demolished the original church, a full-fledged stone cathedral was constructed in 1521.  This was the second permanent cathedral in the New World after the Cathedral of Santa Maria La Menor in Santo Domingo on nearby Hispaniola.  A free grammar school, established by the church in 1513, was also on the site.

The Spanish explorer Juan Ponce de Leon was closely associated with the cathedral.  He served as governer of Puerto Rico and was instrumental in its construction.  He died the same year as its completion and was among the first to be interred on the site.  The cathedral spent the better part of the next four centuries leading a relatively quiet and peaceful existence.

(photo from Puertorico.com)

(photo from Puertorico.com)

Following the Spanish American War, Puerto Rico became a territory of the United States.  Overnight the Cathedral of San Juan Bautista became America’s oldest church.  In the 20th century, one of the cathedral’s congregants, Carlos Manuel Rodriquez Santiago, rose to prominence in the Church.  He died in 1963, and in 1997 was beatified by Pope John Paul II.  His relics are also preserved on the site, making the cathedral both an historic treasure and center of religious pilgrimage.

Visiting

Although the Cathedral if San Juan Bautista has undergone periodic renovations, the building as it stands essentially dates back nearly five hundred years.  Large by colonial era standards, it is typical Spanish Colonial architecture, with a simple white façade crowned by saintly statues.  Much of its current size was due to later expansions.

(photo from Wikipedia)

(photo from Wikipedia)

The cathedral interior is more impressive, featuring an impressive yellow-brick and white-marble nave.  There are three points of primary interest within the cathedral.  The first is the immense, carved marble tomb of the explorer and colonial governor Ponce de Leon.  The second is the statue and shrine of the Virgin of Providence.  The third is the Reliquary of Carlos Manuel Rodriguez Santiago who locals hope may one day become a saint.

The Cathedral of San Juan Bautista is located in the historic center of old San Juan on the north coast of Puerto Rico.  It is open every day, hours not available at the time of this writing.  There is no cost of admission.  Web: www.catedralsanjuan.com (official website).

Other Sites

(photo from Wikimedia)

(photo from Wikimedia)

The city of San Juan is, not surprisingly, loaded with old churches.  Perhaps the most interesting, after the cathedral is the San Jose Church, which also dates in part to the 16th century.

Filed Under: Roman Catholic Tagged With: US-South

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About Howard Kramer

Howard Kramer is the creator and author of The Complete Pilgrim. He first took an interest in religious sites in his early twenties when traveling through Italy after college. In the two decades since he has traveled to more than two dozen countries and almost every state, visiting and photographing hundreds of the world’s greatest churches, synagogues and other places of religious interest. Howard has been writing about religious sites for the better part of the last decade, and The Complete Pilgrim is a culmination of years of his work and passion.

Comments

  1. Silvina Narvaja says

    May 29, 2019 at 9:50 am

    Hello Howard, I hope you are well. I am working with San Juan Bautista Cathedral in Puerto Rici on their 500 years anniversary commemorative coin and trying to help them raise money for some renovations the cathedral in need of.
    May you have an idea of raising money by making a Pilgrimage, please share with me.

    God Bless,

    Reply
    • Howard Kramer says

      July 17, 2020 at 2:21 pm

      I’m always up for a good pilgrimage, and I especially love major anniversaries. Feel free to reach out to me at my email address through the link on this website!

  2. Howard Kramer says

    August 5, 2022 at 1:30 pm

    Definitely!

    Reply

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Africa (North) Africa (Sub-Sahara) Arabia Armenia/Azerbaijan/Georgia Australia/Pacific Austria/Switzerland Balkans Belgium/Netherlands British Isles Canada Caribbean Central Asia China Czech Republic Egypt France Germany Greece Hungary/Romania/Bulgaria India (NE)/Nepal India (NW) India (South)/Sri Lanka Iran/Iraq Israel Italy/Malta Japan/Korea Latin America Mexico Palestine Poland/Lithuania Russia Scandinavia Southeast Asia Spain/Portugal Syria/Jordan/Lebanon Turkey/Cyprus Ukraine US-California US-Mid Atlantic US-Midwest US-New England US-New York US-Pacific Northwest US-South US-Southwest

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Have a comment, a great photo or a religious site you'd like to nominate for the weekly spotlight? We would love to hear from you. Email us at hkramer@thecompletepilgrim.com.

About the Author

Howard Kramer is the creator and author of The Complete Pilgrim. He first took an interest in religious sites in his early twenties when traveling through Italy after college. In the two decades since he has traveled to more than two dozen countries and almost every state, visiting and photographing hundreds of the world’s greatest churches, synagogues and other places of religious interest. Howard has been writing about religious sites for the better part of the last decade, and The Complete Pilgrim is the culmination of years of his work and passion.

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