Church of Saint Joseph — Attraction in San Felipe

Stunning church in the middle of Casio Viejo in Panama.

The massive Golden Altar (or Altar de Oro) of Iglesia San Jose is remarkable in its own right. The towering structure isn’t actually solid gold–it’s carved mahogany that has been covered in gold leaf (and paint). But it looks every bit as opulent as you’d think.

But perhaps the most remarkable thing about it is the story about why it’s still around to see. It survived the pirate Henry Morgan’s sacking of Panama Viejo in 1671. Legend has it that a priest disguised it by painting it black and then convinced Morgan that it had already been stolen. When the coast was clear, and after Panama Viejo was abandoned in the wake of Morgan’s raid, the altar was later moved to its present location in Iglesia San Jose, one of Casco Viejo’s many churches. Today, Iglesia San Jose (Church of San Joseph) is surrounded, like most of Casco Viejo, by a mix of crumbling ruins and beautifully renovated buildings.

Iglesia San Jose dates to 1673 and features a series of heavy, ornate altar pieces lining its walls and alcoves. But despite the draw of the Golden Altar, the church hasn’t been restored to the extent of some of the others, something you’ll quickly notice when you feel the oppressive heat and...

A beautiful experience. Without a tour guide my friends and I stumbled upon the church as we walked through the old town of Casco Viego. We were uncertain that we could go in but when we did, we were not ready for the wealth of history we were about to be exposed to. A nice gentleman approached us offering a free tour. Everything was beautiful but what stood out mostly was the nativity. It was said to have taken four days to be built by one person. It told the entire story of Jesus' birth and was simply gorgeous. Another breathtaking scene was the gold at the altar to the front of the church. The detail was everything! To think it was painted in black as a disguise when Henry Morgan (I think) came during the time of the gold rush back then. It was...

The Church of Saint Joseph in Panama City was constructed following the destruction of Panama Viejo in 1671 by Pirates under Captain Henry Morgan and the move by the Order of St. Augustine to the new location of Casco Viejo.

The church contains the famous Golden Altar which is considered one of the greatest treasures of Panama.

The altar is made of carved wood and is covered in gold leaf.

Originally this was in a church in Panama Viejo, but when Morgan attacked the city the Jesuits painted the altar black to hide the gold.

This deceived the pirates into thinking it was worthless so was not touched.

The altar was then moved to the new church in the present location.

Both, church and altar are dedicated...