Iglesia de la Inmaculada
Encyclopedia
The Iglesia de la Inmaculada Concepción, commonly known as La Inmaculada is a church located in Heredia
, Costa Rica
. The first church in Heredia was a small wooden construct built as early as 1704 in an attempt to convert the natives; nothing remains of the original building, which was replaced by a larger, more permanent adobe structure in July of 1736 when Heredia was granted its own independent parish
. Construction on the current building began towards the end of the colonial period. The cornerstone was laid on October 31 in 1797, but the church was not completed until several years later; though the exact date is unknown, it is believed to have been completed in 1806. The façade was again reconstructed in 1851 when an earthquake brought it tumbling to the ground. Over the years, a baptistry and catechism school were added, while the church gardens were enlarged. The temple exhibits a simple, whitewashed, Spanish neoclassical exterior, while the relatively unadorned interior shows the humility and faith of the people who constructed it. On the front of the church, three niches once contained statues of saints created by the famous Heredian soldier, architect, and sculptor Fadrique Gutiérrez; today, only the central statue of St. Peter remains. The 20 stained glass windows which adorn the church were made in France
.
Monseñor Gregorio de Jesús Benavides is buried in the church gardens.
Heredia, Costa Rica
Heredia is a city located in the Heredia province of Costa Rica and is the capital of that province. It is currently undergoing a rapid process of industrialization and is located 10 kilometers north of the country's capital, San José....
, Costa Rica
Costa Rica
Costa Rica , officially the Republic of Costa Rica is a multilingual, multiethnic and multicultural country in Central America, bordered by Nicaragua to the north, Panama to the southeast, the Pacific Ocean to the west and the Caribbean Sea to the east....
. The first church in Heredia was a small wooden construct built as early as 1704 in an attempt to convert the natives; nothing remains of the original building, which was replaced by a larger, more permanent adobe structure in July of 1736 when Heredia was granted its own independent parish
Parish
A parish is a territorial unit historically under the pastoral care and clerical jurisdiction of one parish priest, who might be assisted in his pastoral duties by a curate or curates - also priests but not the parish priest - from a more or less central parish church with its associated organization...
. Construction on the current building began towards the end of the colonial period. The cornerstone was laid on October 31 in 1797, but the church was not completed until several years later; though the exact date is unknown, it is believed to have been completed in 1806. The façade was again reconstructed in 1851 when an earthquake brought it tumbling to the ground. Over the years, a baptistry and catechism school were added, while the church gardens were enlarged. The temple exhibits a simple, whitewashed, Spanish neoclassical exterior, while the relatively unadorned interior shows the humility and faith of the people who constructed it. On the front of the church, three niches once contained statues of saints created by the famous Heredian soldier, architect, and sculptor Fadrique Gutiérrez; today, only the central statue of St. Peter remains. The 20 stained glass windows which adorn the church were made in France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
.
Monseñor Gregorio de Jesús Benavides is buried in the church gardens.