Most people come to see the altar made of gold which is ok, but the building is more impressive to me. But it's definitely worth checking out.

A baroque structure worthy of a visit. There were not as many statues or other icons or art as one would think but the building structure is something to behold. The apses were only for candles and not for small services but attractive. It is not The Vatican and only requires about one half hour to tour.

The gold altar was gorgeous. I found it was not lit except during masses. So see if you can go during one of the services.

The Golden Altar is a church in the old area of Panamá city. It is close to Casco Viejo. The church was often pilfered by Captain Morgan and his henchmen. When they discovered that the Golden Altar was actually covered with gold. They did all they could to ransack and remove all the treasures and gold that they could. It... More

This church was one that we were able to get into. The Golden Altar was huge and the gold was quite striking. Also notice that the stained glass windows corresponded to parts of the Altar's figures. Got to see it to believe that there is so much gold that was camouflaged so that the Spaniards did not steal it and... More

This church has longer opening times than some of the others, so this may be your best chance to see the inside of a Colonial church in Panama City. The gilded altarpiece is not to be missed.

Another must see during your visit in Panama, yes it is real gold, the details was amazing, it still cannot imagine the time that must have taken to make it

Check out the Golden Altar which is quite spectacular. Don't be shocked if someone asks for $5 to support renovations...I don't think he was official though.

Have a good walk through the casco viejo - and make sure you don't miss this... The San Jose Church is a beautiful example of a cololnial era church. The golden alter is a breathtaking must see !