Concatedral Dulce Nombre de Jesús (Humacao, Puerto Rico) Facts for Kids

Quick facts for kids
Church Dulce Nombre de Jesús of Humacao
U.S. National Register of Historic Places

The cathedral in 2020
Location in Puerto Rico
Location	Town Plaza Humacao, Puerto Rico
Built	1869
Architect	Don Evaristo de Churruca
Architectural style	Late Gothic Revival
MPS	Historic Churches of Puerto Rico TR
NRHP reference No.	84003140
Added to NRHP	September 18, 1984

The Co-Cathedral of the Sweet Name of Jesus (or Concatedral Dulce Nombre de Jesús in Spanish) is a beautiful Catholic church in Humacao, Puerto Rico. It stands proudly in the town plaza. This church is special because it's one of two main churches for the Diocese of Fajardo-Humacao. The other main church is the Catedral Santiago Apóstol in Fajardo.

A Look Back: The Church's Story
How the Church Looks: Architecture
- Outside the Church
- Inside the Church
Gallery
See also

A Look Back: The Church's Story

The very first church for the people of Humacao was a simple building put up in 1769. Later, a second church was built between 1825 and 1826. By 1860, this second church was in bad shape.

Building the Current Church

The church you see today was built between 1868 and 1877. It was designed by an architect named Don Evaristo de Churruca. He designed it in the Gothic Revival style. This style brings back the look of old Gothic churches from Europe.

Earthquakes and Repairs

In 1918, a big earthquake hit Puerto Rico. The church's bell tower fell down because of it. But the church was repaired in 1928. More improvements were made in the 1980s.

Becoming a Co-Cathedral

On March 11, 2008, something important happened. Pope Benedict XVI created the Diocese of Fajardo-Humacao. This meant that the Dulce Nombre de Jesús church became a "co-cathedral." A co-cathedral is a main church for a diocese, sharing the role with another cathedral.

In 1984, the church was added to the U.S. National Register of Historic Places. This list includes important historical buildings across the country.

How the Church Looks: Architecture

The Co-Cathedral is on the east side of Humacao's town plaza. A low concrete wall with metal designs surrounds the church. This wall has pillars that hold old-fashioned lamps.

Outside the Church

The church building is shaped like a cross. It has a long main area called a nave, and a part that crosses it called a transept. It also has two side aisles. Not many churches in Puerto Rico have a transept, which makes this one special.

The front of the church, called the main façade, has a tall, square bell tower. This tower has four levels and a pointed top called a spire. On each side of the bell tower are two smaller round towers. These towers hold a spiral staircase and the weights for the church clock. All the windows and doorways have decorative frames. Small supports called buttresses stand next to the pointed arch windows on the sides of the building. The transept has a roof shaped like a triangle, called a gabled roof. Each side of the transept has two pointed windows on the first level and a round window on the second.

Inside the Church

Inside, the church feels very tall. This is because horizontal lines that might make it look shorter were removed. Tall pillars separate the main nave from the side aisles. These pillars divide the church into five sections on each side.

The main nave has a pointed ceiling, like a pointed arch. The side aisles have ceilings called groin vaults, which look like two arched tunnels crossing each other. Above the side aisles, there are four pairs of small pointed windows. There is a dome where the nave and transept cross, but it is covered by acoustic tiles, so you can't see it. The back part of the church, called the apse, has a rounded ceiling with stained glass windows. The floor is made of colorful local cement tiles. There is also a new choir loft at the back of the church.