RESUMEN. La realidad jurídica costarricense constituye una isla en el mar laico latinoamericano al ser el único país confesionalmente católico. Aun así y, más allá de mero positivismo jurídico, la jurisprudencia constitucional ha superado la idea de Estado confesional en favor del amplio reconocimiento del derecho de libertad religiosa. La coexistencia de estos principios trasciende el modelo de Estado y se proyecta en otros ámbitos como el educativo en el que el derecho a la libertad educativa ligado a la libertad religiosa, configuran un sistema peculiar que trataremos de exponer a continuación.
ABSTRACT. Nowadays, all Latin American countries are secular States. However, there is an exception: Costa Rica. It is the only Catholic confessional State from its beginning until today. However, although the Constitution proclaims the principle of denominational State, this idea was overcome by the consti-tutional jurisprudence in order to protect the right of religious freedom recognized in a few inter-national agreements signed by the State as for example the American Convention of Human Rights. With this idea, the denominational State and the right of religious freedom must coexist and its consequences are transferred to all areas of law, as for example education. This is the area of our study and we will try to explain its legal system and the articulation between those two principles that seem contradictory.
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