The San Pedro Mártir Parish Church of Guaynabo (

Spanish Spanish might refer to: * Items from or related to Spain: **Spaniards are a nation and ethnic group indigenous to Spain **Spanish language, spoken in Spain and many countries in the Americas **Spanish cuisine **Spanish history **Spanish culture ...

: ''Iglesia Parroquial de San Pedro Mártir de Guaynabo'') is a historic

parish church A parish church (or parochial church) in Christianity is the Church (building), church which acts as the religious centre of a parish. In many parts of the world, especially in rural areas, the parish church may play a significant role in com ...

of the

Roman Catholic The Catholic Church (), also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with 1.27 to 1.41 billion baptized Catholics worldwide as of 2025. It is among the world's oldest and largest international institut ...

Archdiocese of San Juan de Puerto Rico The Archdiocese of San Juan de Puerto Rico (; ) is a Latin Church ecclesiastical territory or diocese of the Catholic Church– comprising the northeast portion of the island of Puerto Rico. Its jurisdiction includes the municipalities of Dorado ...

, located in Guaynabo Pueblo (downtown Guaynabo) in the Puerto Rican municipality of the same name. The church was added to the United States National Register of Historic Places on September 8, 1976, and to the

Puerto Rico Register of Historic Sites and Zones The Puerto Rico Register of Historic Sites and Zones (Spanish language, Spanish: ''Registro Nacional de Sitios y Zonas Históricas'') is a Government of Puerto Rico, Puerto Rican government program adopted by the state Puerto Rico Planning Board, ...

in 2000. The church is the oldest building in Guaynabo, and it was established as a parish in 1775. The structure itself is older, dating to at least 1750 when it was a chapel used by the farming communities in the area. It has remained in use as a parish church and as such it has witnessed the growth of Guaynabo from an isolated farming town into a suburb of metropolitan San Juan. The church is representative of the structures built by the Spanish in their

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colonial towns, conveying in its simplicity the economic and artistic limitations of the islands. It was these limitations that perpetuated the adaptable and stern forms of the ''herreriano'' and the plateresque manifestations of

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into such a late date. The plaza, which forms an integral part of this site, has been the center of activity of the traditional community, and together with the church marks the core of the historic colonial core of Guaynabo.

References

18th-century Roman Catholic church buildings in North America Roman Catholic churches completed in 1750 Churches on the National Register of Historic Places in Puerto Rico Spanish Colonial architecture in Puerto Rico 1750 establishments in the Spanish Empire 18th-century establishments in Puerto Rico Buildings and structures in Guaynabo, Puerto Rico {{PuertoRico-church-stub