Porta Coeli ('Gateway to Heaven') Convent church, or El Convento de Santo Domingo de Porta Coeli in Spanish, is one of the oldest church structures in the

western hemisphere The Western Hemisphere is the half of the planet Earth that lies west of the prime meridian (which crosses Greenwich, London, United Kingdom) and east of the antimeridian. The other half is called the Eastern Hemisphere. Politically, the term We ...

, located in

San Germán, Puerto Rico San Germán (, ) is a historic town and municipality located in the Sabana Grande Valley of southwestern region of Puerto Rico, south of Mayagüez and Maricao, north of Lajas, east of Hormigueros and Cabo Rojo, and west of Sabana Grande. San ...

History

In 1609, the

Dominican Order The Order of Preachers ( la, Ordo Praedicatorum) abbreviated OP, also known as the Dominicans, is a Catholic mendicant order of Pontifical Right for men founded in Toulouse, France, by the Spanish priest, saint and mystic Dominic of Cal ...

built the Convento de Porta Coeli at the crest of a hill in what is now

San Germán Historic District The San Germán Historic District is a historic district (United States), historic district located in the western section of the town of San Germán, Puerto Rico. The district was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1994. The d ...

. During the 18th century the Convento was reconstructed and a church built next to it. The single

nave The nave () is the central part of a church, stretching from the (normally western) main entrance or rear wall, to the transepts, or in a church without transepts, to the chancel. When a church contains side aisles, as in a basilica-type ...

church was constructed of rubble masonry with stucco surfaced walls and a wood truss roof. In 1949 Ubaldino Ramírez de Arellano, Monseñor Mac Manus, Bishop of Ponce, Senator Santiago R. Palmer and others arranged for the church of Porta Coeli in San German to be sold to the Government of Puerto Rico for a dollar so that it would be responsible for its safekeeping and preservation. After restoration by the Institute of Puerto Rican Culture, the church now houses the Museo de Arte Religioso. This is a museum of religious paintings and wooden carvings dating from the 18th and 19th centuries. The building was listed in 1976 on the U.S.

National Register of Historic Places The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the United States federal government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures and objects deemed worthy of preservation for their historical significance or "great artistic v ...

as ''"Convento de Porta Coeli"''.

Cemetery

There is also a Porta Coeli cemetery in Puerto Rico. Located in Bayamón, it is the resting grounds, among others, of

Luis Aguad Jorge Luis Aguad Jorge (August 25, 1925 – November 6, 2007) was a Cuban actor and salesman who, due to his small size, was better known as "El Enanito de Holsum", a bread company where he worked for many years of his life. Early life Aguad Jorge was ...

, a Cuban actor who became famous in Puerto Rico as the ''enanito de Holsum'', or ''Holsum (bread)'s dwarf''."Enanito de Holsum"
Primera Hora

References

External links

Institute of Puerto Rican Culture (Spanish).
Museum information with photos
{{NRHP in San Germán, Puerto Rico National Register of Historic Places in Puerto Rico Roman Catholic churches completed in 1609 Churches on the National Register of Historic Places in Puerto Rico Art museums and galleries in Puerto Rico Religious museums in the United States Museums in San Germán, Puerto Rico Spanish Colonial architecture in Puerto Rico Buildings and structures in San Germán, Puerto Rico Historic district contributing properties in Puerto Rico 17th-century Roman Catholic church buildings