This article is based on sources from the archives of the Catholic Church. It focuses on the doctrine of the Catholic Church regarding marriage, and on actual marital relations in the central graven of Costa Rica, during the second half of the nineteenth century, It also includes a discussion of the roles assigned to husband and wife, as well as the main deviant behaviours: extreme cruelty, adultery and problems caused by alcoholism.Estudio basado en fuentes del Archivo de la Curia Metropolitana. Analiza la doctrina de la Iglesia Católica respecto al matrimonio, cómo son las relaciones matrimoniales en el gravamen central en la segunda mitad del S. XIX, los roles asignados al marido y a la mujer, así como las principales desviaciones: servicia, adulterio y problemas ocasionados por el alcoholismo.