Project

« Back

SAN FRANCISCO CHURCH IN CORO

SAN FRANCISCO CHURCH IN CORO
Coro, Falcón, Venezuela
+ More
BACKGROUND

Among the first churches that the Franciscan Order founded in Venezuela, the original church at Coro was part of the Convent of Nuestra Señora de la Salceda, founded in 1614. After a major fire in the early 18th century, the church was rebuilt in the 1720s and underwent several renovations throughout the 19th century. The convent complex was later converted into a school.

(...)
+ More
HOW WE HELPED

San Francisco Church was included in the 1998 and 2000 Watch lists. Through support from American Express, WMF assisted the Venezuelan Institute of Cultural Patrimony in the restoration of the church’s wooden polychrome vault in the Capilla del Evangelio del Templo, one of the oldest chapels in the complex, dating to the first half of the 17th century. (...)

+ More
WHY IT MATTERS

Although the church has been rebuilt and modified over the centuries, as one of the first Venezuelan Franciscan Order churches, it is a key colonial structure in the city. Its surviving architectural details, including a polychrome wooden vault, are important examples of the region’s architectural styles. The site is also known to contain important archaeological remains.

(...)