San Miguel Arcángel Church
Encyclopedia
Iglesia San Miguel Arcángel is an Roman Catholic parish church
located in Cabo Rojo, Puerto Rico
. Construction on the building started in 1773 and was completed in 1783. The church's archives holds the birth records of Ramón Emeterio Betances
, Salvador Brau
, and the pirate Roberto Cofresi
.
separated by arches of wood, covered with tiles, with a ceiling vault. In 1927, Father Joe Smith collected funds to build a dome over the altar and repair the sacristy. Father Benito Sanchez gave the task of commissioning a number of additional works, among them, raising the height of the nave an additional ten feet. In 1936, Father Benito died and is the only Augustine priest buried in the church.
To free children from slavery, Ramón Emeterio Betances
used to come to the door of the church on Sunday and, as the baby slaves were bought out from their christening ceremonies, he paid twenty five pesos (once baptized the cost for the slaves were doubled at 50 pesos).
In 2004, the church was designated a historic monument by the Puerto Rican government. The church is part of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Mayagüez
.
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....
located in Cabo Rojo, Puerto Rico
Cabo Rojo, Puerto Rico
Cabo Rojo is a municipality situated on the southwest coast of Puerto Rico and forms part of the San Germán–Cabo Rojo metropolitan area as well as the larger Mayagüez–San Germán–Cabo Rojo Combined Statistical Area....
. Construction on the building started in 1773 and was completed in 1783. The church's archives holds the birth records of Ramón Emeterio Betances
Ramón Emeterio Betances
Ramón Emeterio Betances y Alacán was a Puerto Rican nationalist. He was the primary instigator of the Grito de Lares revolution, and as such, is considered to be the father of the Puerto Rican independence movement...
, Salvador Brau
Salvador Brau
Dr. Salvador Brau Asencio , was a journalist, poet and writer from Puerto Rico. He was also a renowned historian.-Early years:...
, and the pirate Roberto Cofresi
Roberto Cofresí
Roberto Cofresí , better known as "El Pirata Cofresí", was the most renowned pirate in Puerto Rico. He became interested in sailing at a young age. By the time he reached adulthood there were some political and economic difficulties in Puerto Rico, which at the time was a colony of Spain...
.
History
A description of the church from 1843 indicates that it had three navesNavès
Navès is a commune in the Tarn department in southern France.-Geography:The Thoré forms most of the commune's north-eastern border, then flows into the Agout, which forms part of its northern border.-References:*...
separated by arches of wood, covered with tiles, with a ceiling vault. In 1927, Father Joe Smith collected funds to build a dome over the altar and repair the sacristy. Father Benito Sanchez gave the task of commissioning a number of additional works, among them, raising the height of the nave an additional ten feet. In 1936, Father Benito died and is the only Augustine priest buried in the church.
To free children from slavery, Ramón Emeterio Betances
Ramón Emeterio Betances
Ramón Emeterio Betances y Alacán was a Puerto Rican nationalist. He was the primary instigator of the Grito de Lares revolution, and as such, is considered to be the father of the Puerto Rican independence movement...
used to come to the door of the church on Sunday and, as the baby slaves were bought out from their christening ceremonies, he paid twenty five pesos (once baptized the cost for the slaves were doubled at 50 pesos).
In 2004, the church was designated a historic monument by the Puerto Rican government. The church is part of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Mayagüez
Roman Catholic Diocese of Mayagüez
The Roman Catholic Diocese of Mayagüez is an ecclesiastical territory or diocese of the Roman Catholic Church in the United States and consists of the western part of the island of Puerto Rico, an American commonwealth...
.