Cartago province in Costa Rica
The city of Cartago, the ancient capital of Costa Rica and host of the first permanent international court of world history, the Court of Carthage, is located in the central region of Costa Rica. Geographically it is located at an altitude of 1435 meters above sea level, on the slopes of the Irazu volcano, 24 kilometers east of the capital, San Jose.
Gives its name to the province of Cartago, where is located, and his header region Cartago. The city center measured 4,13 square kilometers and is divided into the western districts, where located important shopping mall, banks, including the National Bank, Scotiabank, Bank of Costa Rica, the headquarters of the Agricultural Credit Bank Carthage or Bancrédito, BAC San Jose, BCT and the central offices of MUCAP. There is also located the beautiful Cathedral of Nuestra Señora del Carmen, the headquarters of the diocese of Carthage, whose patronage is offered to Santiago Apostle In the east districts are located most of the shops, the city council, the Ruins of Santiago Apostle, the Basilica de Nuestra Señora de Los Angeles and the Instituto Tecnologico de Costa Rica, the second-largest university in Costa Rica. The metropolitan area of the city has 295,560 inhabitants, which is composed of the regions of Cartago, Oreamuno, El Guarco, and Paraiso.
Cartago Province of Costa Rica
The climate of Cartago is tropical but cold at the same time and is modified by the height and the presence of the mountains. The climate of the city is very fresh and very different from the other cities in the greater metropolitan area. In general is known that Cartago has cold weather in the city and sometimes is cloudy, for that reason Cartago is also known as the “City of Mist.”
In the city of Carthage is located the main religious center of Costa Rica, La Basilica de Los Angeles that is a beautiful Catholic church that lies at the place where, according to tradition, a mulatto of a village called Puebla de Los Pardos found in 1635 an image of Nuestra Señora de Los Angeles, which will soon attribute numerous miracles. In the site was built a chapel, which was replaced later by a temple with higher solidity, strength, and capacity, this temple was built in 1675. It was converted in the basilica during the episcopate of Bishop Anselmo Llorente y Lafuente.
The earthquake on May 4, 1910, almost destroyed the temple, which was replaced a few years later by another of considerable size, of Byzantine style. The temple Began to build in 1912. The architect in charge of design it was called Luis Llach Llagostera. Actually, the Basilica de Nuestra Señora de Los Angeles is the main center of religious pilgrimage in Costa Rica, especially on the occasion of the feast day of Nuestra Señora de Los Angeles, which falls on Aug. 2.
Thousands of people come every year to the religious center in what is called a “romeria” in appreciation or request for favors. On that date, and in keeping with a tradition that dates from the late of eighteenth century, the image is transferred to the Cathedral of Cartage, located in the city center, where it remains until the beginning of the month of September, when the image is returned to the basilica, with a procession popularly known as the Pasada de Nuestra Señora de Los Angeles.