St. Francis Basilica (Sucre)
The Basilica of St. Francis ( Spanish Basílica de San Francisco ) is a Roman Catholic church in Sucre , the constitutional capital of Bolivia . The church in the Archdiocese of Sucre is dedicated to Francis of Assisi , it bears the title of a minor basilica and, as part of the historic center of Sucre, is a UNESCO World Heritage Site .
history
The Basilica of St. Francis was built as a monastery church of the Franciscan Order from 1539 to 1581 in what was then Chuquisaca. In addition to the donated area for the church, the neighboring property was also donated to build the convent there. Work on the main nave was finished in 1580, and in a ceremony the remains of the city's founders were transferred from the Chapel of the Immaculate Conception. The Church of San Francisco de Charcas was consecrated the following year, with the construction of the side chapels continuing in the following years.
The church was the site of the Chuquisaca uprising on May 25, 1809, the "first cry of freedom in America," which was followed by the 19th century South American Wars of Independence in Buenos Aires, Chile and Mexico. The bell on the tower of San Francisco, now called "Libertad", was rung extensively.
In 1825, President Antonio José de Sucre , who belonged to the Masonic Lodge, expropriated the Franciscans and transferred the monastery and church to the parish and the Ministry of War. The church was used as a warehouse for weapons and ammunition. He also ordered the building of the arcades in front of the church in Plaza de San Francisco.
In 1868 the church was used again for Catholic worship. In 1946, St. Francis carried out a restoration taking into account the original structure of the church.
In 1996 the crypt of the church was reopened and the burials from the early days of the city were revealed.
On August 20, 1999, Pope John Paul II elevated the church to the rank of minor basilica .
architecture
The sober basilica has a central and a side nave, together with the striking difference between its two towers, it is a completely asymmetrical structure. It was built in the baroque style of Latin American colonial architecture. The whitewashed church has only modest decorations on the inside and outside walls, while the splendor is concentrated in the altarpieces. The splendid and gold-leaf altarpieces date from the 18th century, their exuberant decoration is characteristic of the Baroque. The coffered ceiling of the gable roof, which is made of wood and painted with intense colors and gold, is remarkable .
Web links
Individual evidence
- ^ Basilica de San Francisco on gcatholic.org
- ↑ Historic City of Sucre . In: whc.unesco.org
- ↑ El Primer Grito Libertario de América, la Revolución de Chuquisaca . In: notimerica.com
- ^ Iglesia San Francisco in Sucre, Bolivia in franks-travelbox.com
Coordinates: 19 ° 2 ′ 45.3 ″ S , 65 ° 15 ′ 40.3 ″ W