April 8, 2019

Costa Rica – Iglesia Rìo Seco

Costa Rica – Iglesia Rìo Seco

Rìo Seco is a small community not far from where I stayed on the coast of Costa Rica. The name translates to dry river, and it’s in the midst of golden pastures surrounded by small ridges. Its modest houses stretch for a short distance along route 160. There are two small stores and a few side streets with additional homes. About halfway through the village there is a soccer field on one side of road and a small church on the other. Driving through Rìo Seco one last time on a Sunday after checking out of the lodge, I pulled the car over and took a short walk along the street. I had seen some interesting old wooden structures on other passes through the village and this would be my last chance to photograph them. As luck would have it the church doors were wide open and I ventured inside. Services were over and there were several people neatening up.

The church, Iglesia Rìo Seco (Dry River Church), is a modest wooden Catholic church with a beautifully simple interior. The wooden boards that cover the exterior are painted sky blue. Inside, the boards and the framing are painted white – there are no other finishes on the walls. The ceiling is high, at least 12 feet (4 meters), and the windows are tall, with half-round transoms. A flat unfinished wood-paneled ceiling has aged to deep golden browns. Sparseness reigns here: Four pair of slender wood posts support the ceiling; the floor is plain stone tiles; there are four fans spaced on the walls; for lighting at night there are nine bare bulbs hanging in a grid and three across the front. There is no stair inside to the second floor above (maybe there’s an exterior stair at the back of the building?). The narrow raised sanctuary at the front contains a central alter, with a crucifix on one side and a side alter on the other.

If I needed a place to pray this is a place I would come to – beautiful simplicity, natural materials, and no pretense.

 

The Catholic church was built in 1950 with the support of the community, led by a local resident.

 

The white interior walls consist of just the wood framing and the inside surfaces of the exterior siding boards.

 

I visited late one Sunday morning when several people were cleaning after the service.

 

A few things are stored in one of the back corners – the church has no closets.

 

A simple confessional stands in the other corner.

 

This woman stopped for a moment to pose. You can sense the height and scale of the space in this image.

 

The deep tones of the old wooden ceiling panels and posts contrasts with the white walls and pews. Light bulbs hang in a grid.

 

The narrow sanctuary has an alter with a painted sculpture of Jesus and God the Father (I believe). A crucifix hangs on the left, and a side alter is on the right.

 

The side alter cabinet has black wood inlays in a sunburst pattern. On the curtain on the right you can see lines of sunlight coming through the spaces between the siding boards.

 

The doors leading to the side yard (on the left) are made from vertical boards nailed onto cross pieces.

 

The white pews have armrests. Six seats in each of 18 pews.

 

Across the street is the community’s soccer field. Each of the small communities in the area has one in a central spot.

 

Modest structures line the street of the village of Rìo Seco. This one has decorative elements at the top of the facade and windows.

 

Several of the structures along the street were never painted. The siding here is unfinished boards. Some concrete blocks weight the front edge of the corrugated roof.

 

Another house with unfinished wood boards for siding. The bottoms of the vertical boards are cut at an angle – apparently to add a simple decorative element. The cut angle changes direction in the center.

 

A local market with a curious configuration of roofs. Here, again, the bottoms of the vertical boards below the roof lines have been cut to create a decorative line.
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Filed Under: Architecture, Costa Rica, Photography, Travel