El Templete

CA3
Museum / Cultural center
Architectural style: Spanish colonial
CA Ranking: 3
Open: 9am-6:30pm daily
Admission: CUC 1
Baratillo, esq. a O’Reilly, Habana Vieja
  • Built in 1827, El Templete commemorates the first mass and town council held in the city, at the foot of a ceiba tree that grew on the northeast corner of what would soon evolve as the Plaza de Armas.

    The structure imitates a small Greco-Roman temple, with Doric columns and classical pediment, although the pineapples that crown the pillars of the railings tropicalize the Neo-Classical severity. Construction was completed in 1828 in honor of Queen Josefa Amalia, wife of King Fernando VII. Its architecture represented the transition of the period, from the 19th-century ‘Cuban baroque’ to the Neoclassical style.

    The small interior houses three large oil paintings by the French artist Jean Baptiste Vermay, a disciple of David and founder in 1818 of the San Alejandro Arts Academy in Havana. Vermay’s paintings depict the first mass, the first council, and the blessing of the Templete on its inauguration.

    Every year, on November 16, the day on which Havana was founded, a procession of the city’s 16th-century maces – normally kept in the Museo de la Ciudad – makes its way around the Plaza de Armas to the ceiba to commemorate the city’s founding. Superstitious habaneros (and that means most everyone) queue up all evening to walk around the sacred ceiba tree three times and make a wish in the belief that the orishas will honor their wish.

     

    Admission details: CUC 1 (incl. guide), free under-12s

    
  • Compañía Cubana de Electricidad

    Compañía Cubana de Electricidad  LH 1

    Made with reinforced concrete and constructed entirely as an office building, it now houses the Ministerio de la Industria Básica (Ministry of Basic Industry). Rich materials such as marble, granite, …

    Muelle de Luz-Ferry a Regla

    Muelle de Luz-Ferry a Regla  LH 1

    This tiny ferry dock takes its name from Calle Luz, a nearby street. Somewhat battered passenger ferries shuttle across the bay to and from Regla and Casablanca, every 10-15 minutes or so.

    Apartment building

    Apartment building  LH 1

    Constructed on piles–a solution that is essentially in the style of Le Corbusier, which apart from transmitting a sort of lightness to the building, makes the corner lose its traditional compactness; …

    Unión Árabe de Cuba

    Unión Árabe de Cuba  LH 1

    This is the venue of the Unión Árabe de Cuba, which represents around 50,000 Arab descendants from all over the country. It has a small art gallery which features Arab-influenced art and ceramics.

    Solimar Building

    Solimar Building  LH 1

    An interesting and typical example of the Streamline movement which preferred rounded corners and a sensation of motion can be seen in this building built in 1944. The recovery of simple forms and the …

    Palacio del Segundo Cabo

    Palacio del Segundo Cabo  

    In 1770 the Spanish Crown decided to construct a building next to the Castillo de la Real Fuerza on the north side of the Plaza de Armas to serve as the Royal Post Office, responsible for all postal c …

    « 22 of 22 pages