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Dominican
Republic Santo Domingo Colonial City Walking Tour Part 5 |
The following sites are fairly far away from these other buildings but well worth seeing. |
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21. Iglesia de Nuestra Senora de las Mercedes: The Church of Our Lady of Mercy has never been shown any mercy itself. Sacked by English pirate Sir Francis Drake, it's been destroyed by earthquakes and storms but always rebuilt after every disaster. The pulpit is unusual because of a support shaped like a serpent demon. 22. Iglesia de San Miguel: This curved church was named for Michael the Archangel , the protector against smallpox. 23. Iglesia de San Lazaro: Built in 1650, this Gothic church has undergone many changes. It was built near the hospital for lepers to give patients a convenient place to pray. The church was on the very edge of the residential district until the 1920s. 24. La Puerta del Conde: Located at Independence Park, where a mausoleum holds the remains of the founding fathers including Juan Pablo Duarte, Francisco del Rosario Sanchez and Ramon Matias Mella. The gate of the Count is named for the Count of Penalba who successfully defended the city against 13,000 British troops in 1655. In 1844, a successful bloodless coup against occupying Haitian troops was plotted at the gate. Not surprisingly, this gate is the ultimate symbolism of Dominican independence. 25. La Puerta de la Misercordia: The Gate of Mercy is also known as the Grand Gate because it was the main entry to the Colonial City beginning in the 1600s. It gained its present name because many homeless people were housed in temporary shelter following an 1842 earthquake. Colonial City Walking Tour Part 1 Colonial City Walking Tour Part
2 Return to Santo Domingo Homepage Return to Dominican Republic Homepage
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