churchinto

Discovering Cartagena

More Articles By Phillip Bruce www.raxomnium.com

A Church You Can Usually Get Into

The main reason that you won’t find much information about churches on this website is that they are nearly always locked. Tourism authorities seem to ignore this inconvenient fact and feature their churches heavily in their promotions, heedless of the visitors who can be seen rattling the firmly-closed doors.

However, the Caridad church, in Calle Caridad, is usually open. This holy place seems to function in effect as the city’s cathedral. The roofless ruins of the ancient cathedral can be seen next to the Roman Theatre, near the old Town Hall. The last time we visited that we were told that it was closed until further notice. Maybe it is open again now. The cathedral, which dates back to the 13^th century, was destroyed in the Civil War, either by the Communists or the Nationalists, depending upon the political sympathies of who you ask.

Today the Caridad church is busy with services and the people of Cartagena venerate the Virgin of Charity that stands above the alter, with a golden crown endowed with great significance. She is the patron saint of Cartagena, and the statue, in Neapolitan style, was made in the 18^th century.

The church is dominated by its huge dome, said to be similar to the Pantheon of Agrippa in Rome. “There are also several outstanding sculptures by Salzillo and his school,” but you will look in vain for them as there is no explanatory leaflet and no captions on anything.

Still, don’t be put off. If you can find a break between services local people are usually happy to identify things for you.

Particularly enjoyable are the sight of the suffering souls at the base of a statue in a little side chapel who are reaching out for the Virgin’s salvation. The people being tormented in the flames are obviously modeled on reality and one wonders which enemies of the Church were selected by the sculptor.

A panel near the left entrance door records that the Bishop of Cartagena laid the foundation stone on the February 13, 1890, and the church was consecrated on 10 September, 1893. The Bishop bore the un-Spanish name of Tomas Brian Livermore and the original dedication was to the Virgin de los Dolores, not Caridad.

After your visit to the church, head down the street and on the opposite you will find the little Irish bar of Tommy, a long-time resident of the city and a font of knowledge. The bar is a great favourite with all the local people.

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