Fodor's Expert Review Church of San Ramón

Aside from its poets, San Ramón's claim to fame is this massive church, built in a mixture of the Romanesque and Gothic styles. In 1924 an earthquake destroyed the smaller adobe church that once stood here, and the city lost no time in creating a replacement—this great gray concrete structure took more than a quarter of a century to complete, from 1925 to 1954. To ensure that the second church would be earthquake-proof, workers poured the concrete around a steel frame that was designed and forged in Germany (by Krupp). Step past the formidable façade and you'll discover a bright, elegant interior.