The Hermitage of San Roque in Cartagena de Indias is located on Espiritu Santo Street, in the neighborhood of Gethsemane, one of the oldest and most popular neighborhoods in Cartagena.
History of the Hermitage of San Roque
The Hermitage or Church of San Roque of Cartagena de Indias, as it is also known, began its construction in the year 1654. The reasons that gave rise to its creation were a plague epidemic that hit the city in the mid-17th century. ; Given the impossibility of controlling the disease and the deep Catholic Christian Faith of the time, they led the city council to build a complex composed of a hermitage and a hospital, in honor of San Roque who is considered a protective saint against plague and epidemics. .
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The works of both the Hospital of the Holy Spirit and the Hermitage of San Roque were suspended two years after their construction began, due to rumors that the hospital work only sought to benefit some religious, for this reason the Spanish crown issued an order real to suspend the work.
Faced with these events, the priests of the community of San Juan de Dios appeared before the city Council, which decided to discredit the rumors and continue the work of both the Hospital of the Holy Spirit and the Hermitage of San Roque.
The complex was conceived under the patronage of the Cabildo and the religious of the order of San Juan de Dios were assigned to the care of the hospitalized patients.
Because the main reason for the construction was to confront the plague epidemic that was ravaging the city, no investment was made in creating an overly decorated complex, so a simpler and more functional design was chosen. The Parish of San Roque keeps With an air of simplicity both in its exterior façade and in its interior, the building has a rectangular floor plan with a wooden roof and a two-section bell tower and lintel door.
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In some plans from the time it is possible to verify that the Hermitage of San Roque was located on Media Luna Street, but due to the construction of the hospital the street was renamed "Calle del Espíritu Santo", a name it holds to this day.
Where is the Hermitage of San Roque located?
The Ermita is located in the Getsemaní neighborhood, Cr10 C 29-222 Calle Espíritu Santo Cartagena – Bolívar.
Telephone: (+57) 314 5673080 – (+57) 5 6642512
