Iglesia del Espiritu Santo
Coral-stone colonial chapel raised by free Black parishioners, hiding centuries-old burial vaults beneath its floor.
Location
About this audio guide
This guide to the Iglesia del Espiritu Santo in Havana opens in 1953, when workers cracked open a chamber beneath the floor and found rows of burial vaults older than the city's grand cemetery. You'll hear how free Black stonemasons raised the coral-stone chapel around 1635 without carving or gilding, how the bell tower and side nave grew over the next two centuries, and who fitted the clock still running in that tower since 1808. Look at the plain stone walls before you head toward the altar.
This audio guide was created using AI.
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