The Church Santa María del Rosario of Vega Baja (Spanish: Iglesia Santa María del Rosario de Vega Baja) is a historic Catholic parish church from 1860 located in the main public square (plaza) of Vega Baja Pueblo, the historic and cultural downtown of the municipality of Vega Baja, Puerto Rico. The parish, which is part of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Arecibo, was added to the United States National Register of Historic Places in 1984[2] as part of the Historic Churches of Puerto Rico thematic multiple property submission.[3] It was later added to the Puerto Rico Register of Historic Sites and Zones in 2000.[4]
Church Santa María del Rosario of Vega Baja | |
 Church façade (January 2023) | |
  Location of the church in Puerto Rico | |
| Location | Town Plaza - 36 Betances Street, Vega Baja, Puerto Rico |
|---|---|
| Coordinates | 18°15′50″N 66°14′01″W / 18.2640°N 66.2335°W |
| Area | Less than one acre |
| Built | 1860-1874 |
| Architect | Antonio María Guitián |
| MPS | Historic Churches of Puerto Rico TR |
| NRHP reference No. | 84003133[1] |
| RNSZH No. | 2000-(RMSJ)-00-JP-SH |
| Significant dates | |
| Added to NRHP | September 18, 1984 |
| Designated RNSZH | February 3, 2000 |
The church was designed by architect Antonio María Guitián and it was built in stages between the years 1850 and 1874, while being consecrated in 1860 and officially inaugurated on March 12, 1870. Its original clock tower was heavily damaged by the 1918 Aguadilla earthquake, and finally destroyed by the 1928 Okeechobee hurricane, better known as the San Felipe Segundo hurricane in Puerto Rico. In addition to its inscription in the National Register of Historic Places on September 18, 1984, the church was included in the municipally designated Historic Zone of Vega Baja in 2004.[5]
The church is open to the public during weekday services at 6:30 AM and 7:00 PM, and during weekend services at 4:00 PM and 7:00 PM.[6]
Gallery
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Church building side detail from José Julián Acosta Street, 2023. -
Church building side from Betances Street, city hall in the background, 2023. -
Church façade in 2019.
References
edit- ^ "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service. March 13, 2009.
- ^ "National Register of Historic Places Inventory-Church Santa María del Rosario of Vega Baja". NPGallery Digital Asset Management System.
- ^ Marisa Gomez and Ester Cardona (July 1984). "National Register of Historic Places Inventory/Nomination: Thematic Nomination: Historic Churches of Puerto Rico". National Park Service. Retrieved June 5, 2023.
- ^ GOBIERNO DE PUERTO RICO, JUNTA DE PLANIFICACIÓN DE PUERTO RICO (December 7, 2022). "REGISTRO DE PROPIEDADES DESIGNADAS POR LA JUNTA DE PLANIFICACIÓN DE PUERTO RICO" (PDF). jp.pr.gov.
- ^ "Iglesia Nuestra Señora del Rosario". Municipio Autónomo de Vega Baja (in Spanish). 2014-04-04. Retrieved 2023-01-09.
- ^ "Iglesia Nuestra Señora del Rosario Vega Baja, Puerto Rico". Descubra Puerto Rico (in Spanish). Retrieved 2023-01-09.
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