The conmplete name of this place is Our Lady of Zaragoza Church and Capuchinas Convent or Iglesia Nuestra Señora del Pilar de Zaragoza y Convento de Capuchinas, but it is known as Capuchinas. It was finished on January 25th, 1736. It was the fifth convent built in the city. It was designed by Architect Diego de Torres. The area that used to be the church has been highly restored and has been the subject of more than one controversy. Sometimes it is used to house a public event like a concert or presentation. It has very nice gardens. It was founded by five monastic nuns that came from Madrid. The request for the construction was filed on 1720. The King granted permission to build it on May 5th, 1725. The church front and the interior arcs are build with stone. Iron was used for it’s construction. Sixteen reclusion cells for the nuns are placed in a characteristic circular shape that surround a patio. All the cells had bathroom with a common drains for all the rooms. It is said to be the only convent in America with this shape. It is located at 2nd Avenue North and 2nd Street (2da Avenida Norte and 2da Calle) or Calle de Capuchinas with Calle de Santo Domingo.
It is kept by the Consejo Nacional para la Protección de Antigua Guatemala (CNPAG). It is open to the public and admission is charged.
In April 2010 the admission was:
- Q40 Foreign tourists (around US$5)
- Q20 Foreign students (around $2.5)
- Q15 Central American tourists and students ($2)
- Q5 Local tourists and students (less than $1)
And the working hours were from 9AM to 5PM opening everyday.
I takes around one hour and a half for a complete visit. Located here are offices of the Consejo Nacional para la Protección de Antigua Guatemala CNPAG (National Council for the protection of Anigua Guatemala) http://www.cnpag.com/ where you can do most administrative tasks for most ruins in Antigua, including special event photography payments (weddings), special events (rental of ruins) and more.
Here are also located a Library with a collection of Antigua related books and the Museum of Capuchinas.
