A visit to "La Divina Pastora Church" Caracas-Ven [ENG-ESP]
Hello, my dear friends !
Today I want to share with you one of my experiences from my last trip to Caracas. I had the chance to stay a few days in the La Pastora neighborhood, and of course, I took the opportunity to visit the Church of the Divine Shepherdess. I’ll admit that I was one of those people who, as soon as I heard about this little Virgin, immediately thought of Lara State because of its famous procession. But what a pleasant surprise I had in the capital, because La Pastora is an incredibly lively neighborhood. I loved walking its streets and seeing the colorful little houses; plus, there’s a vibrant energy thanks to the many schools and cultural spaces in the area. I even saw tour guides leading tours around the neighborhood, which speaks to the place’s historical significance.
¡Hola, querida comunidad!
Hoy quiero compartir con ustedes una de mis experiencias de mi último viaje a Caracas, tuve la oportunidad de quedarme unos días en la zona de La Pastora y por supuesto, aproveché de conocer la Iglesia de la Divina Pastora. Les confieso que yo era de las que, apenas escuchaba hablar de esta Virgencita, mi mente iba directo al Estado Lara por su famosa procesión. Pero qué grata sorpresa me llevé en la capital, porque La Pastora es una zona increíblemente movida. Me encantó caminar sus calles y ver casitas pintadas de colores; además, se siente una vibra con mucha vida gracias a que hay varias escuelas y espacios culturales alrededor. Incluso vi guías turísticos haciendo tours por los alrededores, lo que demuestra el valor histórico del lugar.
The church is located across from Plaza de La Pastora and can be visited at any time in the morning or afternoon because it stays open all day, every day. The area is very safe, which I appreciated, since some churches are only open around mass times. So, without any rush, I took my time examining its exterior.
Its façade is painted orange and white, and its clocks are working perfectly. The contrast of its colors against the sky and the majestic Ávila in the background makes for a beautiful photo opportunity. What’s more, here’s a tip: behind the church begins the Camino de los Españoles, a route you can take to reach La Guaira on foot.
La Iglesia queda frente a la Plaza de La Pastora y puede visitarse a cualquier hora de la mañana o de la tarde porque permanece abierta todo el día, todos los días. Es muy seguro el entorno, ésto lo agradecí, porque algunas solo abren cerca del horario de misas. Así que sin la prisa me dediqué a detallar su exterior.
Su fachada está pintada de naranja con blanco y tiene sus relojes funcionando perfectamente. El contraste de sus colores con el cielo y el majestuoso Ávila de fondo es una belleza para tomar fotos. Es más, les paso este dato: detrás de la iglesia empieza el Camino de los Españoles, un trayecto por el que se puede llegar a La Guaira a pie.
Once inside the church, the atmosphere changes completely; it’s very cool, and sitting in the pews gave me an incredible sense of peace—it was like walking through a tunnel: outside, the city is noisy, but inside, everything fades away and there is absolute silence. Both the main altar, which features the image of the Divine Shepherdess, and the side altars are well-lit, allowing you to clearly see the faces of the statues. The walls are white with gold and gray accents that contrast with the black-and-white marble floor.
Una vez dentro de la Iglesia, el ambiente cambia por completo; es muy fresca y sentarse en sus bancos me dio una sensación de paz increíble, fue como pasar por un túnel: afuera la ciudad con mucho ruido, pero adentro todo se apaga y queda en absoluto silencio. Tanto el altar principal que tiene a la imagen de la Divina Pastora como los laterales tienen mucha iluminación, lo que permite apreciar los rostros de las imágenes. Sus paredes son blancas con detalles en colores dorados y grises que contrastan con el piso de mármol en blanco y negro.
As I wandered through its hallways, I fell in love with a stained-glass window that let the sunlight stream in. You can also tell how well they maintain the place; the images of the saints were very well preserved.
Mientras me dedicaba a recorrer sus pasillos, quedé enamorada de una ventana de vitrales que permitía la entrada de la luz del sol. Además, se nota el cuidado con el que mantienen el lugar; las imágenes de los santos estaban muy bien conservadas.
In churches, the ceiling often hides true works of art, and this one was no exception; it featured a beautifully colored painting of heavenly figures that caught my eye as I approached the central altar. Looking up to admire that colorful painting also allowed me to notice the antique-style lamps suspended by long chains hanging from the columns, giving the space an even more colonial feel.
En las iglesias, el techo suele resguardar verdaderas obras de arte y esta no era la excepción, tenía una pintura de hermosos colores con figuras celestiales, que llamó mi atención mientras me acercaba al Altar Central. Levantar la mirada para admirar esa colorida pintura; también me permitió observar las lámparas de diseño antiguo sostenidas por largas cadenas, que colgaban desde las columnas, dándole un aire aún más colonial.
As I made my way down the central aisle, I came across another piece steeped in history: located right next to the main pews, this wooden pulpit was inscribed with Latin phrases, and a dove of peace hung from above it. I was told that these structures were used in the past to ensure the priest’s voice could be heard before microphones existed.
Siguiendo mi camino por el pasillo central, me topé con otra pieza cargada de historia, ubicado justo al lado de los bancos principales, este púlpito en madera con frases en latín y de arriba colgaba una paloma de la paz. Me dijeron que estas estructuras eran las que se utilizaban anteriormente para que la voz del sacerdote pudiera oírse antes de que existieran los micrófonos.
And to wrap up the tour, I’d like to show you this sign. Although I saw it on the facade right as I walked in, I wanted to save it for last because I thought it was the best way to conclude this experience. The sign read: “No one is so bad that they can’t come in.” A reminder that, even though we make mistakes, we will always be welcome.
Y para terminar el recorrido les muestro este letrero que aunque lo vi en la fachada justo al momento de entrar, quise guardarlo para el final porque me pareció la mejor forma de cerrar esta experiencia. El letrero decía: "Ninguno es tan malo que no pueda entrar". Un recordatorio de que, a pesar de que cometamos errores, siempre seremos Bienvenidos.
With that beautiful message in mind, I said goodbye to the “La Divina Pastora” Church.
I’d love to read your comments below and hear what you thought of this tour. Are you the type of person who visits churches when you arrive in a new place?
Thanks for reading! See you in the next post ♥️
Con ese mensaje tan bonito en la mente me despedí de la Iglesia "La Divina Pastora".
Me encantaría leer tus comentarios abajo y saber qué te pareció este recorrido. ¿Eres de los que llegas a un lugar nuevo y visita las Iglesias?
¡Gracias por leerme!Hasta un próximo post ♥️
Portada editada en Canva // Cover edited in Canva
Separadores realizados en Canva // Dividers made in Canva
Traducción realizada con www.deepl.com // Translation made with www.deepl.com
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A top class post @mergusa88!!!!
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What a wonderful church the first thing I think it's what an elegant church!!🩷
Thank you so much for your support! Taking this tour was very special to me. The church is beautiful.⛪🥰
Hiya, @lauramica here, just swinging by to let you know that this post made it into our Honorable Mentions in Travel Digest #2938.
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