Cathedral of San Juan Bautista-San Juan, Puerto Rico

Let me start off by saying that San Juan, Puerto Rico is a beautiful place. I would go back there any day! We went for our honeymoon 2 years ago, and I think this may be one of the best trips by far that we've taken. We did take a guided tour while on the island, but one day we decided that we would walk around in Old San Juan and we came across the Cathedral of San Juan Bautista. (I usually link to the direct site, but their site appears to be down. Here is a link to an official Puerto Rico site instead.)

The cathedral is one of the oldest buildings in San Juan, located in Old San Juan, and is the second oldest cathedral in the Americas.The church was built in 1521 originally with wood. It was destroyed by a hurricane and rebuilt with stones. It has survived many hurricanes and was last updates in 1917. The inside is simple yet beautiful. To my knowledge, there is no ac, but they do have fans pointed at the pews to provide some circulation.

The one standout feature to me other than the Gothic style architecture was the stained glass windows. They are a site to see in it self. Pictured to the right is my favorite in the building. The light coming in on the stained glass shows the picture so clearly. Now, I did mention the architecture-- make sure if you go to look up! I don't wanna overload this post with pictures, so you will just have to go see for yourself! 

Inside you can also the tomb of Juan de Ponce and the mummy of St. Pio. You can attend mass here Saturdays at 7 pm, Sunday at 9 and 11 am, and weekdays 7:25 am and 12:15 pm.

 For more information, call 787-722-0861. The church is open daily from 8 am - 4 pm (Sunday until 2 pm). (Please call and check times for accuracy. These times were taken from here.)