Our Lady of Lourdes Chapel ( es, Capilla de Nuestra Señora de Lourdes) is a historic

chapel A chapel is a Christian place of prayer and worship that is usually relatively small. The term has several meanings. Firstly, smaller spaces inside a church that have their own altar are often called chapels; the Lady chapel is a common ty ...

located at the

Miramar district Miramar is a district of the Montes de Oro canton, in the Puntarenas Puntarenas () is a city in the Puntarenas canton of Puntarenas Province, on the Pacific coast of Costa Rica. As the seat of the Municipality of Puntarenas canton, it is award ...

in Santurce,

Puerto Rico Puerto Rico (; abbreviated PR; tnq, Boriken, ''Borinquen''), officially the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico ( es, link=yes, Estado Libre Asociado de Puerto Rico, lit=Free Associated State of Puerto Rico), is a Caribbean island and Unincorporated ...

. Its distinctive architecture bears a

neo-Gothic Gothic Revival (also referred to as Victorian Gothic, neo-Gothic, or Gothick) is an architectural movement that began in the late 1740s in England. The movement gained momentum and expanded in the first half of the 19th century, as increasingly ...

style. It was designed by

Czech Czech may refer to: * Anything from or related to the Czech Republic, a country in Europe ** Czech language ** Czechs, the people of the area ** Czech culture ** Czech cuisine * One of three mythical brothers, Lech, Czech, and Rus' Places * Czech, ...

architect

Antonin Nechodoma Antonin Nechodoma (1877–1928), was a Czech architect who practiced in Puerto Rico and Dominican Republic from 1905 to 1928. He is known for the introduction of the Prairie Style to the Caribbean and the integration of Arts and Crafts elements to ...

and built in 1908.

History

The land was acquired in 1906 and the first stone was placed in 1907. The design of the chapel was made by

architect

, who lived in Puerto Rico. The chapel was finally opened in 1908. Initially, the chapel was used by a

Methodist Episcopal church The Methodist Episcopal Church (MEC) was the oldest and largest Methodist denomination in the United States from its founding in 1784 until 1939. It was also the first religious denomination in the US to organize itself on a national basis. In ...

. After that, it was occupied by the Union Church. Owners Pedro Santiago and Catalina Mejía de Santiago gave the building as a present to the

Roman Catholic Archdiocese of San Juan de Puerto Rico The Roman Catholic Archdiocese of San Juan de Puerto Rico ( la, Archidiœcesis Sancti Joannis Portoricensis) is an ecclesiastical territory or diocese of the Catholic Church in the United States, comprising the northeast portion of the island of ...

on February 17, 1959. Due to its unique architecture and historic nature, the chapel was included on the

National Register for 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 ...

on September 25, 1984. www2.pr.gov
United States Department of the Interior National Park Service, National Register of Historic Places. Retrieved 2016-10-26.

Restoration

In 1982, the chapel was already abandoned and deteriorated. Elba Armstrong started an initiative to restore it. Along with members of the Lourdes Association, the restoration project had a cost of $24,300. Armstrong worked with architect Pablo Ojeda O'Neill and with the contributions of private and government entities. In 1987, the final restoration of the 24 stained-glass windows was done with a $13,500 donation of Angel Ramos Foundation. From 1990 to 1991, thanks to a $10,000 donation from the

Senate of Puerto Rico The Senate of Puerto Rico ( es, Senado de Puerto Rico) is the upper house of the Legislative Assembly of Puerto Rico, the territorial legislature of Puerto Rico. The Senate, together with the House of Representatives of Puerto Rico, control th ...

, along with $5,000 more from Angel Ramos Foundation, the

asbestos Asbestos () is a naturally occurring fibrous silicate mineral. There are six types, all of which are composed of long and thin fibrous crystals, each fibre being composed of many microscopic "fibrils" that can be released into the atmosphere b ...

portions of the roof were replaced. In 1992, the ''Jesus and the Children'' and the ''Holy Spirit'' stained-glass windows were restored, with a $22,000 donation from Esso Standard Oil Company. The damaged frame of the windows was also built anew. 1993 saw the altar floor replaced by new wooden floors, identical to the original ones. This was achieved with a $19,000 donation from the Puerto Rican Committee for the Fifth Centenary of the Discovery of Puerto Rico. Also, a

mosaic A mosaic is a pattern or image made of small regular or irregular pieces of colored stone, glass or ceramic, held in place by plaster/mortar, and covering a surface. Mosaics are often used as floor and wall decoration, and were particularly pop ...

similar to the one in the main hall was found and installed in the side hall, the

sacristy A sacristy, also known as a vestry or preparation room, is a room in Christian churches for the keeping of vestments (such as the alb and chasuble) and other church furnishings, sacred vessels, and parish records. The sacristy is usually located ...

, and the bathroom. The furniture and the doors from the sacristy were designed by Ojeda and built in

mahogany Mahogany is a straight-grained, reddish-brown timber of three tropical hardwood species of the genus ''Swietenia'', indigenous to the AmericasBridgewater, Samuel (2012). ''A Natural History of Belize: Inside the Maya Forest''. Austin: Unive ...

, and the bell was built in

Spain , image_flag = Bandera de España.svg , image_coat = Escudo de España (mazonado).svg , national_motto = ''Plus ultra'' (Latin)(English: "Further Beyond") , national_anthem = (English: "Royal March") , i ...

Architecture

The structure features a bell tower with four gargoyles that serve as a drainage system for the rain water. The tower itself features double arches with slight points. The main facade also features a

stained-glass window Stained glass is coloured glass as a material or works created from it. Throughout its thousand-year history, the term has been applied almost exclusively to the windows of churches and other significant religious buildings. Although tradition ...

with a smaller one on top. A

celtic cross The Celtic cross is a form of Christian cross featuring a nimbus or ring that emerged in Ireland, France and Great Britain in the Early Middle Ages. A type of ringed cross, it became widespread through its use in the stone high crosses er ...

rests at the pinnacle of the church. The side windows also have stained-glass windows. The interior is simple with wood finishes. The chapel has only one central chamber with an A-frame apex roof.

Gallery

Our Lady of Lourdes Chapel (Miramar).jpg, Our Lady of Lourdes Chapel (2016)

References

External links

Capilla Nuestra Señora de Lourdes
at Zona Histórica de Miramar

on ''

Claridad ''Claridad'' ("Clarity") is a Spanish-language weekly newspaper based in San Juan, Puerto Rico. It was founded in June 1959. The paper served as the official publication of the Puerto Rican independence movement and later the Puerto Rican Socia ...