![Altar Porta Coeli](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/9/9c/Altar_Porta_Coeli.jpg)
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