serve as its parish church. In 1751, the Bishop of
Nicaragua and Costa Rica, Monseñor Pedro Agustín Morel de Santa Cruz supervised
the founding of the first school in Heredia, which was run by the church. This
school is now known as the Liceo de Heredia. In 1763 the town was promoted to
the status of
Villa; it was
later renamed Heredia in honor of the President of the Audiencia de Guatemala
who had conferred the status, don Alonso Fernández de Heredia. During the 18th
century the area around Heredia was developed, with the founding Barva and
other towns. On October 31, 1796, Padre Felix de Alvarado laid the foundation
stone for the rebuilding of the Iglesia de la Inmaculada. The Municipality of
Heredia was founded on 19 May 1812, and in 1824, Heredia was promoted to city
by Juan Rafael Mora, the first President of the Republic. The 1848 constitution
made Heredia the capital of Heredia Province, promoted it to
cantón, and assigned it seven
parishes.
For a brief period in the 1830s, Heredia
served as the capital of Costa Rica
