Church of San José (Golden Altar)
Home of the famous Golden Altar, a baroque masterpiece with a legend attached.
From outside, the Iglesia de San José is a modest white church. Inside stands the Altar de Oro, a towering baroque altar of carved wood covered in gold leaf.
According to legend, when the pirate Henry Morgan sacked the original Panama City in 1671, the altar was painted over to disguise the gold, and was later moved to the new city where it stands today. Whether or not the story is true, the altar is one of the most striking sights in Panama.
