Cartago Ruins

The Santiago Apostol parish church in Cartago was rebuilt several times on the same site from the sixteenth century, destroyed by earthquakes each time, and the last attempt, begun in the 1870s in stone in a Romanesque manner, was abandoned after the earthquake of 1910 flattened the city; the walls, arcades and apse were left standing without a roof and have never been completed. The interior was laid out as a garden with lawns, paths and planting, so the ruin functions as a park in the middle of the town, open and free. A body of local legend attaches to the site involving a priest and his brother, which the town repeats. The Basilica de los Angeles is a few blocks away.

What to look for

• The roofless walls - the arcades and apse standing open to the sky.
• The interior garden - the lawns and planting inside the shell.
• The stonework - the 1870s masonry and its detailing.
• The town square - the park and streets around the ruins.

When to go

December to April in the dry season; the Cartago valley is wetter and cooler than San Jose year round. The garden is open through the day. The August pilgrimage to the nearby basilica fills the town.

Good to know

There is no interior building to enter; the ruin is a shell with a garden inside. The visit takes under an hour. Interpretation is minimal. Cartago is often grey and rainy.

Nearby

The Basilica de los Angeles is a few blocks east; Lankester garden is south.