Iglesia San Germán de Auxerre facts for kids
Quick facts for kids |
|
|
Church San Germán Auxerre of San Germán
|
|
|
U.S. Historic district
Contributing property |
|
The church in 2009
|
|
| Location | De la Cruz Street San Germán, Puerto Rico |
|---|---|
| Area | 0.4 acres (0.16 ha) |
| Built | 1688 |
| Architect | Juan Puig |
| Architectural style | Baroque, Neoclassical |
| Part of | San Germán Historic District (ID94000084) |
| MPS | Historic Churches of Puerto Rico TR |
| NRHP reference No. | 84000461 |
| Added to NRHP | December 10, 1984 |
The Iglesia San Germán de Auxerre is a very old and important Roman Catholic church. Its name means "Church of Saint Germanus of Auxerre" in English. You can find it in San Germán, Puerto Rico. It stands right next to the town's main square, called the plaza.
Spanish settlers started the San Germán church community in 1510. They built the first church building in 1688. The church needed repairs many times. Earthquakes in the 1700s caused damage. So, it was fixed and rebuilt between 1717 and 1739. More repairs happened between 1834 and 1897. After a big earthquake in 1918, the church's tower had to be rebuilt in 1920.
The inside of the Church of San Germán is very special. It has beautiful paintings that make the ceiling look like it's made of carved wood. This painting style is called trompe-l'œil. It means "trick the eye" in French. The ceiling and arches are painted this way. The church still has its original marble altar from 1869. It also has ten smaller marble altars from the 1800s. In the choir area, you can see old metalwork from the 1600s. There are also wooden carvings from the 1700s. A painting by a famous artist named José Campeche is also kept there. Because of its history and beauty, the church was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1984. This means it's a very important historic site in the United States.
Images for kids
-
This postcard from 1914 shows the church.
See also
In Spanish: Iglesia de San Germán de Auxerre (San Germán) para niños
- Porta Coeli
- San Germán Historic District
- List of the oldest buildings in Puerto Rico
