Plaza Santo Domingo - Legends and a Botero

Plaza Santo Domingo - Legends and a Botero

Photo: Mariordo (Mario Roberto Duran Ortiz), CC BY-SA 4.0 (cropped)

A stop on Cartagena Walled City Walk, a free self-guided tour.

This lively square belongs to the Church of Santo Domingo, the oldest church in Cartagena, built by Dominican friars in the 16th and early 17th centuries. Look at its bell tower and you may notice it does not sit quite straight.

Cartagena has a legend for that. One story says the devil himself tried to jump onto the church and knocked the tower crooked. Another says the tower bent under a blast of divine anger. The real cause is surely more ordinary, but the legends are more fun.

In the middle of the square reclines Gertrudis, a large bronze woman by Colombian artist Fernando Botero, famous for his round, generous figures. She was installed here in 2000. Local tradition says touching her brings luck in love, which is why parts of her shine.

This is a good place for a cold drink or a coffee at one of the outdoor cafes. Watch the square for a few minutes and you will see half of Cartagena go by.

Getting here: Walk north along the wall to the Baluarte de Santo Domingo, come down, and walk about a block east into the plaza.

Did you know?: Another local legend claims the church's Christ figure grows too big to fit through the door whenever someone tries to carry it out.

Photo op: Crouch beside Gertrudis and frame her with the church's leaning tower behind.

More on Wikipedia: Fernando Botero · Dominican Order · Cartagena, Colombia

Stops on this tour

  1. Torre del Reloj - The Clock Tower Gate
  2. Getsemani and Plaza de la Trinidad - Where Independence Began
  3. Plaza de los Coches - A Market of Human Lives
  4. Plaza de la Aduana - Customs, Columbus and City Hall
  5. Church of San Pedro Claver - Servant of the Enslaved
  6. Las Murallas - Walking the City Walls
  7. Plaza Santo Domingo - Legends and a Botero
  8. Palace of the Inquisition - Fear Behind a Fine Doorway
  9. Cathedral and Plaza de Bolivar - Shade, Stone and Gold
  10. Plaza de San Diego - Convents and a Novelist's Ghost Story
  11. Las Bovedas - Vaults in the Wall
  12. Church of Santo Toribio - The Cannonball at Mass