Iglesia de San Bartolomé de Barva
| Iglesia de San Bartolomé de Barva | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Basic information | |
| Location |
 Costa Rica |
| Geographic coordinates | 10°1′15″N 84°7′24″W / 10.02083°N 84.12333°WCoordinates: 10°1′15″N 84°7′24″W / 10.02083°N 84.12333°W |
| Affiliation | Roman Catholic |
| Year consecrated | 1568 |
| Ecclesiastical or organizational status | Parish church |
| Architectural description | |
| Architectural style | Spanish Baroque |
| Groundbreaking | 1867 |
| Completed | 1893 |
| Capacity | 60,000 + |
The Iglesia de San Bartolomé de Barva is a church in Barva, Costa Rica. The first church was established between 1568 and 1575, and dedicated to Saint Bartholomew; it is rumored to have been built on an indigenous burial ground. In 1613 a more permanent Franciscan mission and convent was established to convert the native Cot, Quircot, and Tobosí people; at this time, the church was rededicated to the Assumption of the Virgin, to remain its patron until 1888. In 1681, governor Miguel Gómez de Lara began on a new temple, also built of adobe, which was completed in 1693.On Feb. 15, 1772, an earthquake destroyed the convent and severely damaged the old church; however, it stood to the north of the current temple until it finally collapsed in an earthquake on December 12, 1888. In 1793, Barva was granted an independent parish. Construction of the current temple began in 1867, with the cornerstone laid by Monseñor Joaquín Anselmo Llorente, the first Bishop of Costa Rica; however, construction was halted by the 1888 earthquake which finally destroyed the old church. The temple was finally consecrated on August 11, 1893 by Bernardo Thiel Hoffman, the German-born second Bishop of Costa Rica, and re-dedicated back to St. Bartholomew.
Every year on August 24, the people of the town have a celebration dedicated to the saint, and the highlight of the celebration is the unique masquerade, where people go out wearing masks and hit others with pig and cow bladders.