The OLDEST cathedral in the Americas is located in the Colonial Zone of my new city, Santo Domingo. Construction began in 1512 and was completed in 1540. Have you read Pillers of the Earth? I can't help but imagine the work that went into this massive church. I think of all the different people that contributed to the construction. The thick walls are made of limestone, which makes sense because that rock is readily available here. Here's an areal view of the church... obviously I didn't take this photo:
I read somewhere that Diego Columbus, the son of Christopher, set the first stone.
In the church plaza there is a statue of Chris, pointing north.
That's one of the church entrances in the background there. This is my first time hanging out in the plaza during the day. It was pouring earlier, so not many people out and about, but this place can get packed. At night there are artists hanging around, people drinking and of course feeding the nasty pigeons.
The church was open and set up for a wedding, so we snuck inside for a few minutes...
Looking towards the alter. The inside is huge and, in typical catholic fashion, a bit creepy.
Looking down the aisle at another exit. Surrounding the sides are several chapels, some with dead people, some with statues and one at the end was being used as a storage area for what I can only assume is going to be the nativity for Christmas.
Do you think there is going to be a rhino, or unicorn is this scene? I'll come back and check it out and let you know.
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