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 Las
Atarazanas, warehouses constructed between 1506 and 1516, are beauty and
grace that have incredibly withstood intact the ravages of earthquakes,
hurricanes, pirates, and time. Five hundred years later these solid
constructions, consisting of three naves, are testimony of an architectural
jewel that is located across the Alcazar de Don Diego Colon, and which are
comparable to those in Barcelona. Two of these symmetric units differ slightly
from the third unit. Iron bars cover rustic arch brick framed wood windows on
the first and second floor. Today, one of the city’s best restaurants is located
in one of the warehouses, where weddings, receptions, or cocktails are the order
for the day. Upon entering, a beautiful courtyard leads visitors to the
different gardens. Passing through the wrought iron garden gates the observer is
enraptured to a time where only dreams reside. At night, this area comes alive
with small restaurants, bars, and discos. Art galleries containing the exquisite
works of some the country’s best-known artists are found here.
The majestic and stately home known as, La Casa del Cordon,
unquestionably is one of the most exquisite colonial mansions of the period.
Framed by an imposing cord of Saint Francis, which overhangs above the portal,
the home built by Christopher Columbus’s scribe, Francisco de Garay, is unique.
This stone house, located on Arzobispo Merino, was built at the turn of the
1600’s, and where it is said that viceroy, Don Diego Columbus, lived until his
palace, El Alcazar, was built. Again, here the interior courtyard and arch
columns slowly invites the beholder to revisit the past. Today, the Banco
Popular Dominicano’s head offices are located in what was once and is a truly
spectacular home.
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Church and
Convent of Regina Angelorum, constructed in 1564, is without
question one of the loveliest temples the colonial city has to offer. Nuns
pertaining to the Dominican Order built this church on the gracious funds
provided by a wealthy Spanish widow, Maria de Arana. Upon the mandate of
King Felipe II, six nuns set forth to establish a convent in this newfound
world. Here the nuns’ mission was to provide shelter to many widows and in
later years, notable poets, such as Sor Leonor de ovando, Elvira de
Mendoza, and others, wrote some of their most famous poems. Peculiar notes
from historical archives indicate that some of the original inhabitants of
this lovely stone edifice initially had their maids accompanying them. The
Spanish custom of the time to send unmarriageable daughters to convents
led many to romantic encounters. The stories are now part of Dominican
history and which are now documented in fiction and nonfiction novels. In
1795, the Order was forced to leave the country and set up residence in
the neighboring island of Cuba. This church withstood the expulsion of its
nuns and the vandalism of the Haitian occupying forces. In later years,
the church served as different schools and where the notable Institute
Salome Urena for Girls was founded. Today, this is a favorite place where
Dominican brides and grooms join in Holy Matrimony.