Iglesia de San José, Colonial church in Casco Viejo, Panama.

Iglesia de San José is a Catholic church in Casco Viejo whose white-plastered facade carries the date 1875 below a triangular pediment with a small framed image. A square bell tower with arched openings and a domed top stands on its left side. Inside are three naves, the central one under a wooden ceiling now covered with metal, and the gold-leafed mahogany main altar.

The San José convent was founded on 15 April 1612 with authorization from Bishop Fray Agustín de Carvala and run by the Augustinian Recollects. After Henry Morgan's 1671 attack on Panama Viejo, the new church was built between 1671 and 1677 in the relocated city, following the dimensions of the old one.

The altarpiece is carved mahogany covered in gold leaf, in a Baroque style with Churrigueresque details, dated to the 18th century. It holds images of Saint Joseph, Saint Thomas of Villanova, Saint Clare of the Cross of Montefalco, Saint Augustine and Our Lady of Consolation. A legend says Augustinian Recollects saved it from pirates by covering it in clay, but study of the altar contradicts this.

The church is accessible from Avenida A near Plaza Herrera and can be explored on your own or with a guide. Visiting in the morning works best, as you'll encounter fewer crowds and experience better natural light inside.

A legend holds that Augustinian Recollect friars saved the altar from the 1671 pirate attack by covering it in clay; studies of the mahogany and gold-leaf piece, however, date it to the 18th century, after the church was rebuilt between 1671 and 1677.