title: Church of Nuestra Señora de Las Mercedes, Santo Domingo
text: # Church of Nuestra Señora de Las Mercedes, Santo Domingo
  
  The Church of Nuestra Señora de Las Mercedes is a colonial Gothic church located in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic.
  
  It is part of the UNESCO World Heritage Site "Colonial City of Santo Domingo".
  
  The construction of this religious building began in the year 1549, and was completed in 1616, built by Rodrigo de Liendo. It was an ancient seminary, later a monastery. This building was seriously damaged during the invasion of the English corsair Sir Francis Drake in 1586.
  
  The Church of Nuestra Señora de Las Mercedes has a wide vaulted nave with side chapels located between its buttresses. It has a high choir, an octagonal apse and a high altar in the Baroque style. It is notable for its wooden pulpit which is supported by a support in the form of a serpent demon.
  
  ## Virgin of Las Mercedes
  
  In the year 1616, the swearing-in of the Patronage of la Virgen de las Mercedes was made in this church, which was extended to the entire Dominican Republic, and the dedication to the Virgin of las Mercedes is proclaimed that same year. The colonial image of the Virgen de las Mercedes found on the altar of this church is taken out every September 24, celebrating the day of Virgin of Las Mercedes, patron saint of the Dominican Republic.
  
  ## Gallery
  
  * Church of the Nuestra Señora de Las Mercedes at the mid-20th century.
  * Portal of the Church of the Nuestra Señora de Las Mercedes in 1957.
  * Tower and church
  * Portals
  * Baroque altarpiece with the colonial image (statue) of the Virgin of Las Mercedes
  * Detail of the altarpiece
  