Parroquia del Espiritu Santo y San Patricio
Encyclopedia
Parroquia del Espíritu Santo y San Patricio, constructed in 1645, is one of Puerto Rico's oldest Catholic
parish church
es. It is located in the main plaza of the municipality of Loiza, Puerto Rico
. The church represents an ethically distinct community characterized by a rich Afro-Hispanic cultural and folk craft tradition. The structure's massive walls and buttresses helped the building withstand flood and hurricanes and likewise provided the people of Loiza with shelter from such natural disasters. The church, named after Saint Patrick
, was enlarged to its present size in 1729. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places
in 1976.
Catholic
The word catholic comes from the Greek phrase , meaning "on the whole," "according to the whole" or "in general", and is a combination of the Greek words meaning "about" and meaning "whole"...
parish church
Parish church
A parish church , in Christianity, is the church which acts as the religious centre of a parish, the basic administrative unit of episcopal churches....
es. It is located in the main plaza of the municipality of Loiza, Puerto Rico
Loíza, Puerto Rico
Loíza is a small town and municipality in the northeastern coast of Puerto Rico, north of Canóvanas; east of Carolina; and west of Río Grande. Loíza is spread over 5 wards and Loíza Pueblo...
. The church represents an ethically distinct community characterized by a rich Afro-Hispanic cultural and folk craft tradition. The structure's massive walls and buttresses helped the building withstand flood and hurricanes and likewise provided the people of Loiza with shelter from such natural disasters. The church, named after Saint Patrick
Saint Patrick
Saint Patrick was a Romano-Briton and Christian missionary, who is the most generally recognized patron saint of Ireland or the Apostle of Ireland, although Brigid of Kildare and Colmcille are also formally patron saints....
, was enlarged to its present size in 1729. 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...
in 1976.