Santa Maria la Menor - The First Cathedral in the New World

The Cathedral of Santa Maria la Menor is the oldest cathedral in the Americas. According to Wikipedia, the construction begun in 1512 and finished in the year 1540. 

It is one of the top-notch attraction sites in Santo Domingo. This architectural and artistic marvel is located in Colonial Zone (Zona Colonial) near the Columbus Park (Parque Colon) where the hundreds of pigeons chill around. The building's elements exist in a Gothic style architecture that predominant in Europe with a mix of baroque and plateresque styles. The exterior is beautiful but it doesn't speak for what's inside. To begin with, its vaulted ceiling is impressive, so do the tall solid limestone walls and pillars.

Personally, there is something spiritually magical everytime I step in it. It is almost the same feeling that I have whenever I visit the infamous massive Angkor Wat back in my homeland. I do love anything with rich history behind. Most of us do, right? Despite the fact that the interior of the cathedral has been fitted with modern lighting, sounding, cooling systems almost everywhere, it doesn't stop me from having the feeling of being taken back to the past to its history and the Columbus thing which alone is already impressive enough. It was like being in the time machine backward in time. There have been plenty of people, groups of tourists every time I was there but I've never once felt if I have been disturbed by the crowd or my feet being stepped on. Everyone seems to just wrap themselves up and give a quiet admiration to the simple yet elegant 500 year-old Catedral Primada de America. At every corner you turn, stand masterpieces of arts and sculptures. The historic mahogany doors still remain as well as several beautiful stained-glass windows, mural paintings, tombstones, chandeliers, ancient woodcarvings, sacred cross, monuments and old furnitures. 

Front entrance

My daughter, Columbus, and the rear of the cathedral

Columbus and his pigeons

My misery company of that day. One of the many pigeons

My favourite spot. Near where the tickets are sold

Interior. No proper words for it

Interior

Stained-glass. Ceiling

Interior

Interior. Altar

Interior. Vaulted ceiling. Stained-glass

If you could ever make it to the DR, don't only head out to the beaches aiming at the kiosks and mojitos, DR also has a wonderful and interesting history at the New World. Apart from the colonies of pigeons and the Amber museum nearby.

I am so glad to be some kind of a "local" of this beautiful island.  :-)

Cheers,

Why Caribbean? Why Dominican Republic?

She had been the one that caught my attention a little more than the others. With her red lips, she was flashing a broad smile and shiny bunch of teeth, almost as tall as giraffe, standing elegantly with one hand resting on her hip in a dramatic evening gown – laced and all glitzed up, alongside with many other women in similar gowns, her sash read “Dominican Rep.” She was later announced the winner of Miss Universe 2003. That was the first time ever that I heard about this country or to know that it does actually exist. The history class that offered during our years in high school, the most we learned about were the different expeditions and what they discovered. The ones from two of the most famous Italian figures of all time - famed Christopher Columbus and Marco Polo were the most known. But that was all, endless reasons to why we had such limitation in our knowledge in that field. What had happened during those historic voyages and later are pretty much what left for me to keep guessing and find out in the next episode of my life.

  

In April 2008, five years after learning about that country, it was another particular moment that I got to hear about it again and it has changed my life forever. My boyfriend, Jens, just finished his six years working contract in Cambodia and was on job hunting. What he found – which was interesting for him is in the Dominican Republic. Resting my head on his left shoulder, he pulled out the world atlas and started to guide me as much as he could with an atlas and some other books. Not that he never guided me before. Getting into a piece of our story, he had been an advisor/professor at my faculty at the university and was my crush, my good friend, my mentor, my teacher, my he’s-the-one-I-think-of-when-the-love-songs-come-up-on-the-radio, my helper, you name it. We began dating at the end of his work year​, after he had been checking me out for some times (naughty!). All was irresistible but we walked by the rules or should I say the norm :-). Loyal people still exist, eh?! :-) O.K. enough of that. 

Jens nailed the interview and got the job. He came to D.R. first in September 2008 while I had to finish my study at the Uni in Phnom Penh. In late 2009, he went back to Cambodia to ask my parents for my hand. I eventually had my thesis done and ready to make a defence presentation to claim my BSc in Forestry Science. I passed. My plane will be leaving in a month. I was going to move and be with him. He was making his main dreams come true, having a good job, getting married and having kids - building family. I was going to take part to make it happen together. Everything went smoothly for me to enter Dominican Republic. It has been five long years since, and I still discover myself discovering what Columbus discovered right at the place he discovered. My Khmer people reacted to my current location variously. Some think it is in Africa, some think it is somewhere in Europe while others think it is in paradise - this last one is the closest guess to reality so far. But never mind, some Dominican people also don't know where Cambodia is, so, no hard feelings! I do understand why within both cases. The photos below are from 2009, as a new comer, I tend to be in every capture, promise when I get some new photos taken I'll make sure I  won't be on them, save your eyes! :-D

Land Ahoy!!! Arrived in the D.R (10/2009)

Alcázar de Colón or Columbus Alcazar, Colonial City, Santo Domingo

In the background is First Cathedral of America, Santa Maria la Menor 
and Columbus statue

Have a fantastic day!

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