San José Church (), located in

Old San Juan Old San Juan () is a historic district located at the "northwest triangle" of the San Juan Islet, islet of San Juan in San Juan, Puerto Rico, San Juan. Its area roughly correlates to the Ballajá, Old San Juan, Ballajá, Catedral, Old San Juan, ...

within the historic colonial zone of the capital of

Puerto Rico ; abbreviated PR), officially the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, is a Government of Puerto Rico, self-governing Caribbean Geography of Puerto Rico, archipelago and island organized as an Territories of the United States, unincorporated territo ...

, is one of the first significant works of architecture on the island. The church is one of the earliest surviving examples of 16th-century Spanish

Gothic architecture Gothic architecture is an architectural style that was prevalent in Europe from the late 12th to the 16th century, during the High Middle Ages, High and Late Middle Ages, surviving into the 17th and 18th centuries in some areas. It evolved f ...

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 180th meridian.- The other half is called the Eastern Hemisphere. Geopolitically, ...

. In 2013 it was added to the

National Trust for Historic Preservation The National Trust for Historic Preservation is a privately funded, nonprofit organization based in Washington, D.C., that works in the field of historic preservation in the United States. The member-supported organization was founded in 1949 ...

's list of 11 Most Endangered Historic Places of 2013.

History

The church was constructed from 1528 to 1735 by the

Dominican Order The Order of Preachers (, abbreviated OP), commonly known as the Dominican Order, is a Catholic Church, Catholic mendicant order of pontifical right that was founded in France by a Castilians, Castilian priest named Saint Dominic, Dominic de Gu ...

as part of the Saint Aquinas Monastery. It was renamed by the Jesuits who took over the monastery on September 2, 1858.

Juan Ponce de León Juan Ponce de León ( – July 1521) was a Spanish explorer and ''conquistador'' known for leading the first official European expedition to Puerto Rico in 1508 and Florida in 1513. He was born in Santervás de Campos, Valladolid, Spain, in ...

, the first governor of Puerto Rico, was buried in the crypt of the church from 1559 to 1836, when his remains were exhumed and later transferred to the Cathedral of San Juan Bautista. However, his coat of arms is still located near the main altar. His grandson, Juan Ponce de Leon II is buried in the crypt beneath the Sanctuary's floor. Puerto Rican painter José Campeche is also buried in the church. In 1972, the 15th-century painting Our Lady of Bethlehem disappeared from the church. In 2002, a restoration project on the structure began and several painted murals were discovered including a mid-19th century depiction of the

Battle of Lepanto The Battle of Lepanto was a naval warfare, naval engagement that took place on 7 October 1571 when a fleet of the Holy League (1571), Holy League, a coalition of Catholic states arranged by Pope Pius V, inflicted a major defeat on the fleet of t ...

. In 2004, the church was listed on the 2004 World Monuments Watch by the World Monuments Fund, which helped the conservation effort.World Monuments Fund - San José Church
/ref> Restoration of the church was completed in March 2021.

Gallery

File:Historic American Buildings Survey, Thomas T. Waterman, Photographer, 1938. - Iglesia San Jose, Calle San Sebatian, San Juan, San Juan Municipio, PR HABS PR,7-SAJU,1-2.tif, Front view in 1933 File:Historic American Buildings Survey, VIEW FROM SOUTHWEST. - Iglesia San Jose, Calle San Sebatian, San Juan, San Juan Municipio, PR HABS PR,7-SAJU,1-3.tif, Exterior view in 1933 File:Historic American Buildings Survey, Thomas T. Waterman, Photographer DETAIL OF VAULT, VIEW -3. - Iglesia San Jose, Calle San Sebatian, San Juan, San Juan Municipio, PR HABS PR,7-SAJU,1-16.tif, Gothic interior, photo of 1933 File:Historic American Buildings Survey, SOUTH FACADE. - Iglesia San Jose, Calle San Sebatian, San Juan, San Juan Municipio, PR HABS PR,7-SAJU,1-4.tif, South facade in 1933 File:Historic American Buildings Survey, EXTERIOR OF CHAPEL, SOUTH ELEVATION. - Iglesia San Jose, Calle San Sebatian, San Juan, San Juan Municipio, PR HABS PR,7-SAJU,1-6.tif, View of the church in 1933

References

External links

Images and drawings
from the Historic American Engineering Record. {{DEFAULTSORT:San Jose Church Old San Juan, Puerto Rico Tourist attractions in San Juan, Puerto Rico Spanish Colonial architecture in Puerto Rico Roman Catholic churches in San Juan, Puerto Rico 1735 establishments in New Spain 1730s establishments in Puerto Rico Roman Catholic churches completed in 1735 Historic district contributing properties in Puerto Rico National Historic Landmark District contributing properties

History

Gallery

See also

References

External links