Santa Catalina Arch

Antigua Guatemala is well known for its rich colonial history and cultural attractions, but none are so iconic as the Santa Catalina Arch. Standing above the cobbled streets and in front of the hulking Volcán de Agua, this saffron-yellow arch has become the symbol of Antigua and the central image on most postcards. To critics it might just be another arch, but to locals it represents the resilience of the city and a history than spans four centuries.
The Santa Catalina Arch was built in 1694 on what is now known as Calle del Arco, or “street of the arch.” Rather than being built for aesthetic reasons, there was purpose behind the arch’s construction. On either side of the arch are two convents, the Convent of the Virgin and the Convent of Santa Catalina. Within the convents lived cloistered nuns, and in the 1690s they lived on one side of the of the arch and taught at a school on the other.

Subject ID: 191416

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Antigua Guatemala is well known for its rich colonial history and cultural attractions, but none are so iconic as the Santa Catalina Arch. Standing above the cobbled streets and in front of the hulking Volcán de Agua, this saffron-yellow arch has become the symbol of Antigua and the central image on most postcards. To critics it might just be another arch, but to locals it represents the resilience of the city and a history than spans four centuries.
The Santa Catalina Arch was built in 1694 on what is now known as Calle del Arco, or “street of the arch.” Rather than being built for aesthetic reasons, there was purpose behind the arch’s construction. On either side of the arch are two convents, the Convent of the Virgin and the Convent of Santa Catalina. Within the convents lived cloistered nuns, and in the 1690s they lived on one side of the of the arch and taught at a school on the other.

Subject ID: 191416

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