Inglesia de Santo Domingo

The next stop on our tour was the church of Santo Domingo, or Inglesia de Santo Domingo. 

First Peek at Inglesia de Santo Domingo

The first view of the church was, ironically, from the Palace of the Inquisition.  Santo Domingo is reportedly the oldest church in the city of Cartagena.  It was originally built in 1539 in Plaza de los  Coches, but the original building succumbed to fire and was rebuilt in its present location in 1552. Builders gave it a particularly wide central nave and covered it with a heavy roof, but it seems they were not too good at their calculations as the vault began to crack afterwards.

Balcony by the Inglesai de Santo Domingo

One of the nice things about this church is that it’s very close to a residential area, where there were lovely blooming vines covering the balconies.  Massive buttresses had to be added to the walls to support the structure and prevent it from collapsing. The builders also had problems with the bell tower, which is distinctly crooked.

Inglesia de Santo Domingo

Here’s a full frontal view of the church.  It was difficult to get the complete church in an image, because the streets aren’t that wide to allow for me to be back far enough to capture everything in the image. 

In the Yard

Before entering the church, we did walk thru a side garden, which was very peaceful and appropriate for reflection. 

Inside Inglesia de Santo Domingo

The interior is spacious and lofty. The figure of Christ carved in wood is set in the baroque altar at the head of the right-hand aisle. The floor in front of the high altar and in the two aisles is paved with old tombstones dating mostly from the 19th century.

Dome in Inglesia de Santo Domingo

The church was previously only open during Mass, but you can now take a 20-minute self-guided audio tour, offered in most European languages.  We had our own guide, however, so we didn’t do the audio tour.  However, no one got out of the church without passing by a nun, in traditional garb.  I may not be a practicing Catholic, but Catholic grade school habits die hard – I did make an offering (monetary) on my way out!

Enjoy!