La Merced Basilica (Lima)

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Portal of the basilica
Interior of the basilica

The Basílica Nuestra Señora de la Merced ( German  Basilica of Our Lady of Mercy ) is a Roman Catholic church in Lima , the capital of Peru . The monastery church of the Mercedarians was consecrated to Mary , the Mother of God , under the invocation of Mary from the ransom of the prisoners . The church of the Archdiocese of Lima has the title of a minor basilica . The basilica is along with the monastery cultural heritage of the nation and as part of the historical center of Lima UNESCO World Heritage Site .

history

The Mercedarian Order settled in the fertile Rímac Valley the year that Lima was founded by Francisco Pizarro in order to proselytize the indigenous population. At the same time as the city was founded in 1535, they began building their monastery with the Church of Mercy on this site, which was donated by Captain Francisco de Becerra Solar together with six thousand pesos, which is now in the historic old town of Lima about midway between the Plaza Mayor and the Plaza de San Martin is located. Under the Mercedarian brother Miguel de Orenes as founder, the construction of the first wooden church began; the construction of today's brick church then lasted according to plans by Óscar Ramírez Martín through various earthquakes and extensions until the end of the 18th century. In 1924 the church was opened by Pope Pius XI. Elevated to the rank of a basilica minor, in 1972 a national cultural heritage and in 1988 part of the UNESCO world cultural heritage.

architecture

Like many buildings in Lima, the Basilica Nuestra Señora de la Merced has survived several earthquakes and fires in the almost 500 years since it was built. It was built using a mixture of adobe and brick. The Church of Mercy has been expanded several times. Today's side aisles were built over the centuries, as was the interior decoration.

The facade was given its present shape as early as 1591, although it was destroyed several times and was not reconstructed until 1939. It is an important example of baroque churriguerism in Lima. The artistically valuable facade was made on three floors with gray and pink granite that came to Peru as ship ballast from Panama. In the center is the portrait of the Virgen de las Mercedes in a niche. After the earthquake of 1746 the church was partially restored; at that time the portal was also rebuilt. The one-sided church tower, which was started in 1539, was planned higher, but was shortened in the wake of the earthquake of October 20, 1687. The bells in the tower, which was last restored in 1998, are only rung in September, the month of the patron saint of the Mercedarians.

The church is rather dark inside, which is due to the massive pillars and heavy vaults. Its baroque ceiling was carved by Cristóbal Gómez in 1591. The baroque gold decorations on the main altar and the side altars are impressive. The decoration of the wall and floor surfaces shows Moorish influence. The paintings are from the baroque era. On the occasion of the 100th anniversary of national independence, the portrait of Mary was crowned in 1921 , she is the patroness of the Peruvian military.

The grave of the founder of the monastery, Miguel de Orenes, is in the church. Francisco de Becerra's grave can be seen in a niche.

Web links

Commons : Basilica La Merced  - Collection of images, videos and audio files

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ Basílica Nuestra Señora de la Merced on gcatholic.org
  2. ↑ Relación de Monumentos Históricos del Perú. Centro Nacional de Información Cultural, December 1999, accessed February 3, 2019 (Spanish).
  3. ↑ a b c The Basilica Nuestra Señora de la Merced: A baroque gem on peru-spezialisten.com
  4. ↑ Nuestra Señora de la Merced, la Gran Mariscala del Perú on forosdelavirgen.org (Spanish)

Coordinates: 12 ° 2 ′ 53.9 ″  S , 77 ° 1 ′ 57.7 ″  W.