The San Luis Gonzaga High School was founded
in 1842.
The High School was founded as a Sole
School in which three teaching systems
were used: General Secondary Teaching,
Secondary Preparatory Teaching and Special
Teaching.
The
first system tried to foment culture into
man, and prepare him for the execution
of citizenship. The second one was for
the learning of a profession, and the
third taught aspects of practical order
for the needs of the moment.
Saint
Luis Gonzaga, Patron Saint of the High
School
Saint Luis Gonzaga was a model of innocence,
mercy and penance. He died June 21st,
1591, victim of an epidemical disease
that devastated the city, where he aided
the ill. In his memory, June 21st was
consecrated in his honor. For this reason,
the young people gather in the precinct
of this school to remember his legacy.
The
architect Jesús Kutze with the
help of Teacher Bejarano and the specialized
mason Jesús Solano designed the
building that the school used during the
period of 1869 to 1910. This building
was located on the terrains of what today
is called El Mercadito, a business complex
that belongs to the school and is located
on the south side of the central market.
The construction of this building took
12 years, and cost 120.000 pesos.
On
May 4th, 1910, this building collapsed
during the Santa Monica earthquake, killing
three students. This catastrophe took
the lives of thousands of Cartago residents.
Once they had recovered from the losses,
the neighbors of Cartago made sure that
the school had a new building. It is therefore
decided that the new building would be
constructed on the terrains that were
occupied by the Central American Court
of Justice, which also collapsed from
the earthquake.
The
excellent location and construction of
the new building made it become one of
the symbols of the architectonical space
of Cartago, as well as the home of the
worthy institution of Costa Rican culture.
The
construction of this new building took
six years with a cost of 600.000 colones.
A Neoclassic style prevailed in its design.
It was inaugurated in 1929, and in 1989
it was decreed as a historical-architectonical
point of interest.
Location:
5th Avenue, 3rd Street
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