Parroquia del Espíritu Santo y San Patricio

The Parroquia del Espíritu Santo y San Patricio (English: Parish Church of the Holy Spirit and Saint Patrick), constructed in 1645, is one of Puerto Rico's oldest Catholic parish churches. It is located in the main plaza of the municipality of Loíza, Puerto Rico. The church represents an ethnically distinct community characterized by a rich Afro-Hispanic cultural and folk craft tradition. The structure's massive walls and buttresses helped the building withstand flood and hurricanes and likewise provided the people of Loíza with shelter from such natural disasters. The church, named after Saint Patrick, was enlarged to its present size in 1729.^[1]

Parroquia del Espiritu Santo y San Patricio[a]
U.S. National Register of Historic Places
Puerto Rico Historic Sites and Zones
Parroquia del Espiritu Santo y San Patricio
Location of Loíza and the church in Puerto Rico
Location	Plaza de Loíza Loíza, Puerto Rico
Coordinates	18°26′00″N 65°52′47″W
Built	1729
NRHP reference No.	76002251
RNSZH No.	2000-(RMSJ)-00-JP-SH
Significant dates
Added to NRHP	September 8, 1976
Designated RNSZH	February 3, 2000

The church was listed on the U.S. National Register of Historic Places in 1976,^[2] and on the Puerto Rico Register of Historic Sites and Zones in 2000.^[3]

See also

• Puerto Rico portal

• National Register of Historic Places listings in eastern Puerto Rico

Notes

1. The church's name is presented here without the accent on "Espíritu" in conformance with the usage in the church's National Register nomination form^[1] and Federal Register announcement of listing.^[2]