San Juan Cathedral, San Juan

Stroll back into town to see San Juan Cathedral. It is quite unremarkable on the exterior. The explorer Ponce de Leon is buired in this Cathedral. He became the first Governor of Puerto Rico by appointment of the Spanish Crown.

The most impressive thing about San Juan's Cathedral is that it is unimpressive. That is quite strange for a city that has been for centuries one of the Spanish-colonial capitals of the New World where, historically, churches and cathedrals used to be the most magnificent buildings in town. Actually you can walk by it without realizing that is the Cathedral, like I did, that I had to go look on the map to figure out that was the Cathedral.

The Cathedral as we see it today (a kind of Gothic-neoclassical style), is basically the result of restoration work carried out in the early 1900s but its origin dates back to the early 1500s and it is the second-oldest cathedral in the Americas. It houses today the marble tomb of the island's first governor Juan Ponce de León and the relic of San Pio, a Roman martyr.

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Built in 1521, this is the second oldest cathedral in the Americas. It's had many improvements and restorations, so much of this is from the 19th century. One of its most famous features is the tomb of the Spanish explorer Ponce de Leon, who spend to many years searching for the Fountain of Youth.

Located in the heart of Old San Juan is Puerto Rico’s most significant church, the Catedral San Juan Bautista. In addition to housing the tomb of Juan Ponce de Leon, the cathedral also witnessed the first ordination of a bishop in North America in 1529, and played host to Pope John Paul II.

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Originally built in the 1520's of wooden walls and a thatched roof this beautiful cathedral was then destroyed by a hurricane in 1529. It was rebuilt in 1540 and then again damaged by another hurricane in 1615.

The Cathedral is said to be an authentic and rare New World example of medieval architecture. It is quite beautiful and contains the marble tomb of the Juan Ponce de León (the island's first Govenor).

It also contains the "relic of San Pio, a Roman martyr". The Cathedral still holds religious services on a regular schedule.

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Surrounded by narrow cobblestone streets with overhanging balconies, the San Juan Bautista Cathedral is said to be the oldest Christian church in the Western Hemisphere. Begun in the 1520s, the cathedral is still an active church. It has been restored according to strict building codes. The church is open for sightseeing, but those who enter to just look and take pictures should respect the others who come to worship or pray.

This is the oldest church in San Juan, originally a mission. Built in the 16th century, I believe, it is quite possibly one of the most plain cathedrals you will ever see. The overwhelming simplcity of it is probably the same reason that it's so remarkable. You don't need to spend exhorbitant amounts of time in here, as it's nothing as ornate as European cathedrals.

This, the spiritual and architectural centerpiece of Old San Juan, as you see it in its present form, was begun in 1540 as a replacement for a thatch-roofed chapel that was blown apart by a hurricane in 1529. Chronically hampered by a lack of funds and a recurring series of military and weather-derived disasters, it slowly evolved into the gracefully vaulted, Gothic-inspired structure you see today. Among the many disasters to hit this cathedral are the following: In 1598 the Earl of Cumberland led the British Navy in a looting spree, and in 1615 a hurricane blew away its roof. In 1908 the body of Ponce de León was disinterred from the nearby Iglesia de San José and placed in a marble tomb near the transept, where it remains today. The cathedral also contains the wax-covered mummy of St. Pio, a Roman martyr persecuted and killed for his Christian faith. The mummy has been encased in a glass box ever since it was placed here in 1862. To the right of the mummy is a bizarre wooden replica of Mary with four swords stuck in her bosom. After all the looting and destruction over the centuries, the cathedral's great treasures, including gold and silver, are long gone, although many beautiful stained-glass windows remain. The cathedral faces Plaza de las Monjas (the Nuns' Square), a shady spot where you can rest.