Grecia translated means Greece, the country, and Greece being named after the Goddess of beauty from the Roman Empire.
Grecia is the capital city of the canton of Grecia in the province of Alajuela in Costa Rica. It is also the name of the distrito (district) that includes the city. The district of Grecia covers an area of 6.86 km²,[1] and has a population of 15,457.[2] [3]
The city lies at an elevation of 999 meters above sea level[1] in the foothills of the Cordillera Central on the eastern edge of the Central Valley (Valle Central). The city, which was once named "the cleanest city in Latin America," is 20 kilometers northwest of the provincial capital city of Alajuela, 27 kilometers from Juan Santamaria International Airport, and 45 kilometers from the national capital city of San Jose.
Grecia is noted for its unique church, Iglesia de la Nuestra Señora de las Mercedes, that is made entirely of pre-fabricated steel plates painted red. According to an urban legend, the church was donated by some foreign country, and sent to Greece as a gift, but was wrongly shipped to Grecia. However, history records clearly show that order, shipment and construction of the temple were a coordinated effort of Grecia’s population, Catholic Church and Costa Rican government in the Late 19th century.
References
- ^ a b Instituto Geográfico Nacional (IGN), 2001.
- ^ Estimates of Instituto Nacional de Estadística y Censos (INEC), May 2003.
- ^ Arquitectura e historia en Costa Rica: Templos parroquiales en el Valle Central, Grecia, San Ramón y Palmares 1860-1914 (2001) Ofelia María Sanou Alfaro, ISBN 9789977676432
Coordinates: 10°04′20″N 84°18′40″W / 10.07222°N 84.31111°W
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