This small neo-classical style construction was built in the second half of the 18th Century. It is located in Plaza de Armas on the site where the first public mass was celebrated and also the site of the first town council of the nascent town of San Cristóbal de La Habana. The Templete resembles a Doric temple and houses three commemorative canvasses by the famous French painter Juan Bautista Vermey. One of the walls exhibits the plate that declares Old Havana a World Heritage Site.Place: Ciudad de La Habana
The oldest space of the city surrounded by the most important political, military, religious and civil buildings of the town: la Real Casa de Correos (1772-90), Palacio del Segundo Cabo and Palacio de los Capitanes Generales (1776-91). In 1955, a statue of the Father of the Homeland, Carlos Manuel de Céspedes, stands in the center of the square.
Towards the end of the 16th Century, the square was known as the Plaza Nueva (New Square), however after the construction of the Plaza Nueva del Cristo (New Square of Christ) in the 18th Century, it was then called Plaza Vieja (Old Square). The buildings that surround this open space are of unquestionable architectural and artistic importance and typify Cuban architecture of the 18th Century. After the complete refurbishment of the central fountain, the square has recovered its original splendour.
The origin of this beautiful popular square, situated between San Pedro, Oficios y Amargura streets, goes back to 1628. Two buildings of significant importance flank its large cobbled space: the Convent and the Lesser Basilica, whose tower for many years was considered the highest point of the town. Given its location very close to the bay, it soon became a commercial square and a source of livelihood for the people of Havana. The Covent and the Basilica are now a concert hall and the Museum of Religious Art.
The construction of the largest of all the Spanish military fortresses concluded in 1774 and its presence exerted a deterring effect on the enemies of the country. It occupies an area of 10 hectares and consists of bulwarks, barracks, moats, covered roads, squares and warehouses. On January 3, 1959, Commander Ernesto Che Guevara militarily seized the fortress and established his headquarters there, which is now a museum that exhibits personal documents and valuable testimonies of the Heroic Guerrilla. Every evening the Cannon is Blast Ceremony is held in one of its squares at 9:00 pm.
Currently the venue of the Office of the Historian of Havana, the palace was built in 1776 and has been given several functions: official residence of the Spanish governors, Presidential Palace and Municipal Palace of Havana. The City Museum currently occupies part of the sumptuous halls that exhibit valuable treasures such as: the first Cuban flag, personal effects of the heroes of Cuba: Jose Martí, Máximo Gómez and Antonio Maceo together with a priceless collection of colonial furniture, carriages and other works of art.
