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Our historic building

The building in which Nicolas is located, is one of the most historic in Antigua. 

Nicolas and the building next door, were the chapel and entrance to the Hospital Real de Santiago, constructed by Bishop Francisco Marroquín in 1553, managed by the religious order of San Juan de Dios.  The hospital chapel, where Nicolas now is, was inaugurated in 1647 and reconstructed after the damage caused by the earthquake of 1651, changing the wooden roof for a vault ... you san see that in the photo below. 
 

Read two interesting documents and review photos and the map of Antigua:

Below, an article by José María Magaña, architect and historian, in the April 2008 "RECREARTE",

and click to go to the next page, with an extract from "The Architecture of Antigua, Guatemala 1543-1773" by Verle L.Annis, about the Hospital San Juan de Dios and a map of Antigua that shows our building

arquitectura de recreación por jm magaña                                jmmagana@revistarecrearte.com
Note, above the roof on the one story house in the foreground, what appears to be the facade of the chapel of the hospital.  The house on the left stands on what used to be a courtyard through which people entered the chapel and the hospital. Click to see a much larger photo.	However, in Guatemala, the health service started in the colonial times, when the Hospital Real (Royal) de Santiago was established to serve Spaniards and the creoles (of mixed race).  It was constructed by the Bishop Francisco Marroquín in 1553, with the king's permission and its building was on the Calle de la Concepción, on the third block toward the east from the Main Square. It was in the hands of the monks of San Juan de Dios, who were the sixth monastery set up in Santiago de Guatemala, today better known as La Antigua Guatemala.    The chapel of the hospital was inaugurated in 1647 and reconstructed after the damage cased by the earthquake of 1651, replacing the wooden roof with tiles for a vault.    Earlier, the Dominicans offered service to the local population in a small hospital San Alejo, in the neighborhood of Candelaria, which was later moved into the monastery. There were now so many patients, although many locals refused to be treated by the Spaniards, that both hospitals were joined and finally, in 1667 San Alejo came under the control of San Juan de Dios.    With help of the Town Hall, the buildings grew and eventually occupied the entire block, with a good part of the buildings having two stories.  The hospital had two large patios and other smaller ones, wide hallways, many rooms for the sick, other facilities and rooms for the monks, a number of fountains and plenty of water.   The monks of the Hospital Real de Santiago from then on became known as San Juan de Dios. 1 Dr. Ramiro Rivera Álvarez / Salud Pública, Asistencia Social y Seguridad Social. Historia General de Guatemala / Tomo VI / Época Contemporánea de 1945 a la actualidad. Información básica: Verle L. Annis / La Arquitectura de La Antigua Guatemala 1543-1773. With permission of the REVUE.  Photo by Rudy Girón.
The Hospital of San Juan de Dios in Santiago de Guatemala (Antigua) The creation of the Ministry of Public Health and Social Assistance in 1944, marked the beginning of a new stage in the development of the country, representing a new concept of health as a public concern, and, the State included health among its major obligations.  Next step, the establishment of social security from 1946, through the Instituto Guatemalteco de Seguridad Social (IGSS) was a milestone in the history of the country, which started a new age of benefits for the working classes.(1)

... and click to go to the next page, with an extract from "The Architecture of Antigua, Guatemala 1543-1773" by Verle L.Annis, about the Hospital San Juan de Dios and a map of Antigua that shows our building earte.com