Concatedral Dulce Nombre de Jesús (Humacao, Puerto Rico)
Encyclopedia
The Concatedral Dulce Nombre de Jesús, or in English the Co-Cathedral of the Sweet Name of Jesus, is a Catholic cathedral
located on the town plaza in Humacao, Puerto Rico
. Along with the Catedral Santiago Apóstol
in Fajardo
it is the seat of the Diocese of Fajardo-Humacao
. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places
as Church Dulce Nombre de Jesus of Humacao in 1984.
Dulce Nombre de Jesύs became a cathedral church when Pope Benedict XVI
established the Diocese of Fajardo-Humacao on March 11, 2008.
, transept
and two side aisles. It is one of the few churches in Puerto Rico with a transept. The main façade
is dominated by a four-level square bell tower topped with a spire
. It is flanked by two smaller round towers that house a spiral staircase and the weights for the clock. All the windows and doorways are framed with moldings. Small buttress
es flank pointed arch windows on the sides of the building. The two-level transept is crowned with a gable
d roof. Each side has two pointed-arch windows on the first level and round window in the second.
On the interior horizontal moldings have been eliminated to give the illusion of a taller structure. Pillars separate the nave from the side aisles and they are assembled into five bays on each side. The main nave is covered by a pointed vault and the side naves are covered by groin vault
s. Four pairs of small pointed arch windows are above the side aisles. There is a dome over the crossing, but it is covered by acoustic tiles and cannot be seen. The apse
is covered by a groined half-dome and contains stained glass windows
. The floor is covered with colored native cement tiles and a new choir loft is in the rear of the church.
Cathedral
A cathedral is a Christian church that contains the seat of a bishop...
located on the town plaza in Humacao, Puerto Rico
Humacao, Puerto Rico
Humacao is a city in Puerto Rico located in the eastern coast of the island, north of Yabucoa; south of Naguabo; east of Las Piedras; and west of Vieques Passage. Humacao is spread over 10 wards and Humacao Pueblo...
. Along with the Catedral Santiago Apóstol
Catedral Santiago Apóstol (Fajardo, Puerto Rico)
The Catedral Santiago Apostol , or in English the Cathedral of St. James the Apostle, is a Catholic cathedral located on the town plaza in Fajardo, Puerto Rico. Along with Concatedral Dulce Nombre de Jesus in Humacao it is the seat of the Diocese of Fajardo-Humacao...
in Fajardo
Fajardo, Puerto Rico
Fajardo is a small city in Puerto Rico located in the east region of the island, bordering the Atlantic Ocean, north of Ceiba and east of Luquillo.Fajardo is spread over 7 wards and Downtown Fajardo , which serves as the administrative center of the city...
it is the seat of the Diocese of Fajardo-Humacao
Roman Catholic Diocese of Fajardo-Humacao
The Roman Catholic Diocese of Fajardo-Humacao is an ecclesiastical territory or diocese of the Roman Catholic Church in the United States and consists of part east and the northeast of the island of Puerto Rico, an American commonwealth.The diocese is led by Bishop Eusebio Ramos Morales...
. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places
National Register of Historic Places
The National Register of Historic Places is the United States government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures, and objects deemed worthy of preservation...
as Church Dulce Nombre de Jesus of Humacao in 1984.
History
The first church for the parish of Dulce Nombre de Jesús was a simple structure built in 1769. A second church was built from 1825-1826. It was in a ruinous state by 1860 and the present church was built between 1868-1877. It was designed by Don Evaristo de Churruca in the Gothic Revival style. The bell tower collapsed as the result of an earthquake in 1918. The church was repaired in 1928 and another renovation took place in the 1980s.Dulce Nombre de Jesύs became a cathedral church when Pope Benedict XVI
Pope Benedict XVI
Benedict XVI is the 265th and current Pope, by virtue of his office of Bishop of Rome, the Sovereign of the Vatican City State and the leader of the Catholic Church as well as the other 22 sui iuris Eastern Catholic Churches in full communion with the Holy See...
established the Diocese of Fajardo-Humacao on March 11, 2008.
Architecture
The cathedral is on the east side of the town plaza. A low concrete wall with metal grillwork surrounds the church building. The wall is modulated by pillars that hold cast iron lamps. The building is cruciform in shape with a naveNave
In Romanesque and Gothic Christian abbey, cathedral basilica and church architecture, the nave is the central approach to the high altar, the main body of the church. "Nave" was probably suggested by the keel shape of its vaulting...
, transept
Transept
For the periodical go to The Transept.A transept is a transverse section, of any building, which lies across the main body of the building. In Christian churches, a transept is an area set crosswise to the nave in a cruciform building in Romanesque and Gothic Christian church architecture...
and two side aisles. It is one of the few churches in Puerto Rico with a transept. The main façade
Facade
A facade or façade is generally one exterior side of a building, usually, but not always, the front. The word comes from the French language, literally meaning "frontage" or "face"....
is dominated by a four-level square bell tower topped with a spire
Spire
A spire is a tapering conical or pyramidal structure on the top of a building, particularly a church tower. Etymologically, the word is derived from the Old English word spir, meaning a sprout, shoot, or stalk of grass....
. It is flanked by two smaller round towers that house a spiral staircase and the weights for the clock. All the windows and doorways are framed with moldings. Small buttress
Buttress
A buttress is an architectural structure built against or projecting from a wall which serves to support or reinforce the wall...
es flank pointed arch windows on the sides of the building. The two-level transept is crowned with a gable
Gable
A gable is the generally triangular portion of a wall between the edges of a sloping roof. The shape of the gable and how it is detailed depends on the structural system being used and aesthetic concerns. Thus the type of roof enclosing the volume dictates the shape of the gable...
d roof. Each side has two pointed-arch windows on the first level and round window in the second.
On the interior horizontal moldings have been eliminated to give the illusion of a taller structure. Pillars separate the nave from the side aisles and they are assembled into five bays on each side. The main nave is covered by a pointed vault and the side naves are covered by groin vault
Groin vault
A groin vault or groined vault is produced by the intersection at right angles of two barrel vaults. The word groin refers to the edge between the intersecting vaults; cf. ribbed vault. Sometimes the arches of groin vaults are pointed instead of round...
s. Four pairs of small pointed arch windows are above the side aisles. There is a dome over the crossing, but it is covered by acoustic tiles and cannot be seen. The apse
Apse
In architecture, the apse is a semicircular recess covered with a hemispherical vault or semi-dome...
is covered by a groined half-dome and contains stained glass windows
Stained Glass Windows
Stained Glass Windows was an early broadcast television program, broadcast on early Sunday evenings on the ABC network. The program was a religious broadcast, hosted by the Reverend Everett Parker....
. The floor is covered with colored native cement tiles and a new choir loft is in the rear of the church.