Coronado Church

The church of San Isidro Labrador at Coronado was built between 1930 and 1940 on a hill above San Jose in a neo-Gothic manner unusual for Costa Rica, with a tall nave, pointed arcades, stained glass and twin towers, constructed in reinforced concrete faced with stone at a scale out of proportion to the small town it serves; the design is attributed to the Costa Rican architect Teodorico Quiros. It is visible from a long way across the valley. The town around it sits at around 1,400 metres in dairy country on the flank of the Irazu massif, cooler than San Jose, and it is known for the Clodomiro Picado Institute, the snake serum laboratory, which receives visitors.

What you actually see

• The neo-Gothic church - the tall concrete and stone building on the hill.
• The interior - the nave, arcades and stained glass.
• The valley view - San Jose below from the church terrace.
• The serum institute - the snake laboratory in the town.

When to go

December to April in the dry season for the clearest views; the church is open around service times. The serum institute has its own visiting hours and needs arranging. Weekday mornings are quiet.

Honest expectations

The church is a twentieth-century building despite its medieval styling. Interior access follows service hours. The town is otherwise unremarkable. Traffic on the road up from San Jose is heavy.

Nearby

San Jose lies southwest; Irazu volcano is east.