Basilica de Nuestra Señora de Los Angeles (Our Lady of the Angels)
Every year on August 2nd, it is estimated that a million to two million pilgrims converge on Cartago to celebrate the fiesta of La Negrita (Black Madonna). On the eve of the feast day, pilgrims walk from other parts of the country to the Basilica (in what is called a romería) to give thanks or petition for favors. La Negrita is the patron saint of Costa Rica and adored by devotees for her healing power.
Main Altar
It is said that a peasant girl found a statue in the woods of a female figure with a dark complexion and carrying a child. She took it home with her but when she woke up the next day, it was gone. She found it on the rock where she had first discovered it. She brought it back home only for the statue to return to the rock. She told the priest about her experience with the statue and he took it from her and locked it up but the next day it was back on the rock. When several earthquakes destroyed the construction of the church, it was decided to build a new one at the site where the statue was found upon realizing that the Black Madonna didn’t want to leave the place where she was found, near the village where the poor people lived.
Dome
This beautiful church was designed by a Spanish architect, Luis Llach Llagostera. It has colonial and Byzantine architectural influences. Note how the dome sits on a square base.
Choir and organ
Everywhere you look inside the basilica, you’ll find perfect symmetry. It’s what draws the eye as soon as you enter this sacred space. Notice the golden painted arches, the stained glass windows and the decorated Corinthian style pillars.
Nuestra Señora de Los Angeles
The exterior of the Basilica shows traces of Byzantine architecture with its numerous domes and rounded arches.
Santiago Apóstol Parish Ruins
It’s called Las Ruinas (The Ruins) but this former parish church is the remnant of the original church from the 17th century which was destroyed by an earthquake and subsequently rebuilt. Two more earthquakes hit the city after that, the last of which was in 1841 and damaged the church again. Three decades later, reconstruction of the church was underway when it was interrupted by another earthquake on May 4, 1910 that devastated much of Cartago. After four earthquakes, the parishioners and city officials abandoned the idea of rebuilding Santiago Apostol Parish Church.
Exterior wall, Las Ruinas
Plaza Mayor
The Plaza Mayor in front of Las Ruinas is wide and spacious with the statue of the Monument to the Bicentennial Independence of Costa Rica taking center space. How apropos that this monument stands here in Cartago, the former capital of Costa Rica. It was sculpted by Ángel Lara Vargas and is made of stainless steel. The face is cast in bronze. The winged female figure is an allegory of the freedom Costa Rica has enjoyed in the past two centuries and must continue to safeguard as it moves to the future.
How to get there:
After trying several times and failing to join a tour of Irazu Volcano and Cartago, I decided to explore other options for visiting the Basilica of Our Lady of Angels. I wanted to go by train but the services were infrequent. My second choice was to take the bus but the bus terminal was too far from my hotel in Escazu. A traveler I met in San Jose told me he had taken Uber from the airport to his hotel in San Jose and it was far cheaper than the taxi he had previously taken. I decided to take Uber for the short, 25km distance to Cartago. We arrived at the Basilica in 35 minutes, just before the sky gave vent to soaking rain whisked about by moderate winds. This door to door service is especially important during the pandemic when we have to worry about the threat of Covid19. Caveat: Though Uber has been operating in Costa Rica since 2015, it has not yet been recognized by the government partially due to strong opposition from the taxi drivers’ association.
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Images by TravelswithCharie