As we celebrate the Holy Week, we invite you to visit some of Costa Rica’s most beautiful churches, being for the most part a catholic country, you are sure to find a church in every community, but some are certainly worth visiting even if you are not a religious person, as their architecture makes them stand out.

Basílica Nuestra Señora de Los Angeles: This is Costa Rica’s most popular church, every year on August 2, hundreds of thousands of people embark in the pilgrimage to this church in Cartago to celebrate the apparition of the country’s patron saint La Virgen de Los Angeles also known by locals as “La Negrita”. The story talks about a young woman, Juana Pereira, who in 1635 was picking up wood in the area when she found the small sculpture of a black virgin sitting on a rock, she picked it up and took it who her putting it away inside a box in her house. However, the next day the woman found again the small statuette on top of the rock, thinking it was a second one she took it with her to realize then that it was missing, the same thing happened the following day, she took it then to the local priest who also put it away in a safe place, but the next day the lady found her once again. They understood this to be a divine sign that the Virgin wanted to be in this place, a small temple was built in her honor. The current building dates back to 1939. There is a small museum here as well that is open to the public.

Zarcero Church: Zarcero is a small town located in Alajuela, the area is picturesque. The church here receives many visitors attracted by its cottage style and its beautiful interior covered with religious paintings. The garden right in front of the church is another attraction; sixteen green arches lead the way to the entrance of the church, and the shrubs and hedges have been shaped into different figures that bring the park to life.

Coronado Church: One of the main attractions of the town of Coronado, the church has a neo-gothic style which was constructed in 1930 and has a metallic structure. It features a tower clock that you can climb to during the town’s May festivities, the view from here is great.

San José de Orosí Church: Located in Cartago, it is considered one of the oldest buildings in the country, it was constructed in 1767 during the colonial years. It was declared Historic and Architectonic Heritage in 1920 and a National Monument in 1985, it holds a small religious art museum.

Grecia’s Metal Church: In the beautiful city of Grecia in Alajuela this catholic temple stands out because of its red color. The first church that was constructed in the area suffered the effects of different earthquakes, which lead the people to the idea of building a church entirely made of iron, they began negotiations with a company in Belgium which shipped the different pieces to Costa Rica in 1892, the construction process was long due to the difficulty of the project, it was not until 1896 that the temple was constructed, but the floors, doors, windows etc. and details of the interior and exterior were not concluded until 1912.