Framed poster - Cathedral of San Juan Bautista - San Juan - Puerto Rico - Catholicism
Built: 1521-1905
The Catedral de San Juan is the second oldest
cathedral in the Americas.
It was the first diocese of the New World with
bishop Don Alonso Manso in 1511.
The Catedral Metropolitana Basílica de San Juan
Bautista, or in English, Metropolitan
Cathedral Basilica of Saint John
the Baptist, is the Roman
Catholic cathedral of the Archdiocese
of San Juan de Puerto Rico.
The cathedral is one of the oldest buildings in
San Juan, located in Old San Juan, the oldest
cathedral in the United States, and is the second
oldest cathedral in the Americas.
The first school in Puerto Rico was the Escuela de
gramática (Grammar School). The school was
established by Bishop Alonso Manso in 1513,
in the area where the cathedral would
later be constructed.
The school was free of charge and the courses
taught were Latin language, literature, history,
science, art, philosophy and theology.
The cathedral contains the tomb of the Spanish
explorer and settlement founder Juan Ponce de León.
BLESSED CARLOS MANUEL (Charlie):
It also has a shrine to the Blessed Carlos Manuel
Rodríguez Santiago, the first Puerto Rican
and the first Caribbean-born layperson in
history to be beatified.
RELICS OF SAINT PIO - A CONVERTED
ROMAN SOLDIER:
The church also houses the relic of San Pío,
a saint martyred in Rome. The Catholic
Church felt the Catedral de San Juan
needed a relic so it sent the skull
of San Pío. In a glass display case, a wax sculpture
of his body encases the skull. The back of his skull
is exposed so you can see it is real. If you look in
his mouth you can see his real teeth.
Address: Calle del Cristo núm. 151, San Juan,
Puerto Rico This is across the El Convento
Hotel. It is a major tourist attraction -
like most of Old San Juan.
Authors Note - Raul: I lived in old San Juan for a
year and visited frequently this Cathedral. I
testify that this Cathedral does have a very
strong spiritual and presence and a special
joyous and deep presence - so many
centuries of worship! To enjoy this blessing,
I often stayed there for an entire day, and
once saw a red halo around the St. Pio Relic!
Ref:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Catedral_Metropolitana_Bas%C3%ADlica_de_San_Juan_Bautista_(San_Juan,_Puerto_Rico)
http://humanidades.uprrp.edu/ahpr/?page_id=652 (in spanish)
https://www.touroldsanjuan.com/attractions-in-san-juan/
http://www.arqsj.org/Arq/Home.php