Costa Rica 5 Colones banknote 1942 Banco Nacional De Costa Rica - National Bank of Costa Rica
Obverse: Portrait of Juan Mora Fernández - Head of State of Costa Rica (1825–1833).
Reverse: St. James the Apostle Parish Ruins (Ruinas de la Parroquia de Santiago Apóstol, located in the city of Cartago, Costa Rica.
Printed by Waterlow and Sons Limited, London England.
Costa Rica Banknotes - Costa Rica Paper Money
Banco Nacional de Costa Rica - National Bank of Costa Rica
1939-1949 "Series F" Issue
2 Colones 5 Colones 10 Colones 20 Colones 50 Colones 100 Colones
Juan Mora Fernández
Juan Mora Fernández (1784 in San José - 1854) was Costa Rica's first elected head of state. He was considered a liberal and decided to move the capital from Cartago to San José. Juan Mora was elected as the first head of state in 1825. He is remembered for instituting land reform, and he followed a progressive course. As a consequence of his land reform structure, he inadvertently created an elite class of powerful coffee barons. The barons eventually overthrew one of his later successors, José María.
St. James the Apostle Parish Ruins (Ruinas de la Parroquia de Santiago Apóstol
Santiago Apóstol (St. James Apostle) Parish Ruins is a Costa Rican Cultural Heritage Site, located in the city of Cartago, Costa Rica.
Several churches have existed on this site since 1575. The first building was damaged in 1630 by an earthquake, and was demolished in 1656, when a new one began to be built, which was finished and consecrated in 1662. This second structure had two chapels, one used for praying and the other one for funerals, and both were safeguarded by the local townspeople. In 1718 the then old and deteriorated church was heavily damaged by another earthquake, leading to repairs. In 1756 another earthquake damaged the church, forcing further repairs. It was finally destroyed on September 2, 1841, by the San Antolín earthquake. In 1870 the last attempt to rebuild the church was started. The new parish was built and designed by engineer Luis Llach and German architect Francisco Kurtz, respectively, and had a Romanesque style, the only one found in Costa Rica. Its construction was halted for thirty years, and was restarted again in 1903 or 1904, before being completely canceled in 1910, after the Santa Mónica earthquake. They are not ruins in the strictest sense, since the church was never actually completed. Today it is a tourist destination, used as a public park, with occasional masses.
It was declared a "Historic Relic" in the presidential decree Nº 13799-C, published in the official country's gazette (La Gaceta) Nº 163 on August 25, 1982.