Convent of San Gabriel (Cholula)

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Convento de San Gabriel Arcángel
and Capilla Real

Fachada del templo de san gabriel en cholula.jpg

Patronage : Archangel Gabriel
Consecration date : April 30, 1552
Order : Franciscan (OFM)
Address: Plaza de la Concordia,
San Pedro Cholula, Puebla, Mexico

Coordinates: 19 ° 3 ′ 43.5 ″  N , 98 ° 18 ′ 15.7 ″  W.

Facade of the Capilla Real

San Gabriel Arcángel ("Holy Archangel Gabriel ") is the name of a Franciscan monastery and church in Cholula near Puebla in Mexico . It is located in Plaza de la Concordia in downtown San Pedro Cholula. The monastery dates from the 16th century and played an important role in proselytizing the indigenous population. It is considered an "emblematic building" for the history of Central America . The monumental building complex also includes the unique Capilla Real ("Royal Chapel").

history

San Gabriel in Cholula was one of the first monasteries built in New Spain after the discovery of America . Originally there was a sanctuary of the god Quetzalcóatl in the same place .

The monastery was founded before 1529 by Franciscans who came from the province of San Gabriel in Extremadura . In the beginning, however, it was only a small temporary accommodation for a few brothers.

The third bishop of Puebla, Sebastián de Hojarasco, laid the foundation stone for the current complex on February 7, 1549. The construction under the direction of Fray Toribio de Alcaraz was carried out entirely by Indian workers and was completed in 1552. On April 30 of that year the church by Bishop Martín de Hojacastro was ordained .

the monastery church

Large parts of the monastery were originally decorated with wall paintings by the hand of local Mexican painters who worked under the guidance of the Franciscans and in some cases using European prints. A description from 1657 and an inventory from 1664 in the Archivo de Indias of Seville give an idea of ​​the rich interior decoration and colored wall paintings that have now almost completely disappeared.

The church of San Gabriel was later redesigned in the classical style. Since 1900, the festival of the Virgen de los Remedios has been celebrated every May and the church is richly decorated with flowers.

The Portería ( Gate ) and the Portal de Peregrinos (Portal of the Pilgrims ) were restored from 1999 , among other things with the help of the World Monuments Fund .

In parts of the building there is the seat of the Franciscan library ( Biblioteca Franciscana ) with numerous valuable ancient texts, and attached to it is the Centro de Estudios Humanísticos "Fray Bernardino de Sahagún" of the Universidad de las Américas Puebla (UDLAP).

Even today some Franciscans still live in the cloister area of ​​the monastery, which is not open to the public.

description

The interior of the church

The enormous monastery complex is surrounded by a crenellated wall with three portals , which gives the whole thing a fortress- like character. In the forecourt, known as the “ atrio ”, there are so-called capillas posas , small open chapels with a square floor plan with a cupola , at some corner points . The stone cross in the forecourt was erected in 1668.

The exterior of the church still shows its original simple and almost defensive appearance from the 16th century, with a crown of pointed battlements on the roof (similar to those on the enclosure). The interior consists of a single nave , the Gothic origin of which can still be seen in the ribbed vault . Otherwise, the interior presented today in an elegant classical garb (vermtl. 19th century) with fluted white golden pillars of Corinthian order and partly gilded stucco ornaments on a white background. The classicistic altar dates from 1897.

lateral view of the high altar of the Capilla Real
View across the Capilla Real

To the left of the church is the Capilla Real (also: “ de Naturales ” or “ de Indios ”), which was built before 1540 and whose architecture is influenced by the Mudéjar style. Its shape is quite unique and on the inside is reminiscent of the Mesquita of Cordoba . The simple room consists of seven naves formed by a sea of ​​columns or pillars and arcades . In the central nave, the columns are made of gray stone, the other pillars are octagonal and whitewashed. Between each four round arches there is a small domed vault , so a total of 49 small domes, which can also be seen on the exterior and give the building its special character. The baptismal font made of a single stone is decorated with acanthus tendrils and symbols of the Franciscans and dates from the time of origin, the classicistic altar from the 19th century. On the walls there are further altars, side chapels and paintings from the 16th to 18th centuries.

In the cloister of the monastery, which is one of the oldest parts of the building, there are some monochrome frescoes that show, among other things, depictions from the life of Christ and St. Francis of Assisi . They are seen as a typical work of the “Franciscan Indigenous” school of the 16th century. There is also a small museum with sacred art in the monastery.

Between the church and the Capilla real is the baroque portal of the Capilla de la Tercera Orden (Chapel of the Terciaren ), the dome of which is painted with representations of important Franciscans.

See also

literature

  • Anamaría Ashwell: "Los murales de la portería del convento de San Gabriel en San Pedro Cholula: el pincel del indígena en la realización de un mural cristiano del siglo XVI", in: Elementos No. 51, Vol. 10 , September-November 2003, p. 3, online at "Elementos" , viewed May 22, 2019 (Spanish)
  • Ester Ciancas: El arte en las iglesias de Cholula , SepSetentas, 1974
  • George Kubler: Arquitectura mexicana del siglo XVI , FCE, 1948.
  • Francisco de la Maza: La ciudad de Cholula y sus Iglesias , Impresa Universitaria, 1959.
  • Francisco Morales OFM: “Los Franciscanos en Cholula”, in: Cholula - Vínculo de Sabiduría , UDLA, 2002.

Web links

Commons : San Gabriel Arcángel (Cholula)  - Collection of images, videos and audio files
  • "Convento Franciscano" (= San Gabriel), "El Claustro", "Capilla de Naturales" (= Capilla Real), "Capilla de la Tercera Orden" on "vivecholula.gob.mex" in: "web.archive.org" , as seen on May 23, 2018 (Spanish)
  • Vanessa Sánchez Vega: “Convento de San Gabriel en Cholula, uno de los más antiguos en México”, July 8, 2017, on “www.poblanerias.com” , seen on May 22, 2019 (also in: “wikipuebla” (Spanish ; Pictures of the church with flowers))
  • “Ex-Convento de San Gabriel Arcángel” in “coloquiano” , as seen on May 22, 2019

Individual notes

  1. ↑ “Convento de San Gabriel Arcángel” on “zonaturistica.com” , viewed on May 22, 2019
  2. ↑ a b c d e f g h Vanessa Sánchez Vega: "Convento de San Gabriel en Cholula, uno de los más antiguos en México", July 8, 2017, on "www.poblanerias.com" , seen on May 22, 2019 (Spanish; also in: "wikipuebla" ).
  3. ↑ a b c d Anamaría Ashwell: "Los murales de la portería del convento de San Gabriel en San Pedro Cholula: el pincel del indígena en la realización de un mural cristiano del siglo XVI", in: Elementos No. 51, Vol. 10 , September-November 2003, p. 3, online at "Elementos" , viewed May 22, 2019 (Spanish)
  4. ↑ a b c “Convento de San Gabriel” on the website of the Ayuntamiento San Pedro Cholula, “cholula.gob.mx” , viewed on May 22, 2019
  5. ↑ See note 13 in: Anamaría Ashwell: "Los murales de la portería del convento de San Gabriel en San Pedro Cholula: ...", in: Elementos No. 51, Vol. 10, ... 2003, p. 3 ...
  6. ↑ a b c See note 1 in: Anamaría Ashwell: "Los murales de la portería del convento de San Gabriel en San Pedro Cholula: el pincel del indígena en la realización de un mural cristiano del siglo XVI", in: Elementos No. 51, Vol. 10 , September-November 2003, p. 3 ...
  7. ↑ The exact time cannot be taken from the available sources, but probably in the 19th century (author's note Marie Adelaide)
  8. ↑ "Virgen de los Remedios cumple 116 anos de festjos en es convento de Cholula", on "Municipios" , May 23, 2016 (as of May 22, 2019)
  9. ↑ Redacción Poblanerías: “Convento de San Gabriel, edificación dedicada a un arcángel”, January 14, 2010, on “Wikipuebla” , viewed May 22, 2019
  10. ↑ "San Gabriel Convent in Cholula", on the website of the "World Monument Funds" , seen on May 23, 2019
  11. ↑ "Churches And The Zócalo - Templo De San Gabriel", on "letsgo.com", in the "web.archive.org" , viewed on May 22, 2019
  12. ↑ "Convento Franciscano" (= San Gabriel) on "vivecholula.gob.mex" in: "web.archive.org" , viewed on May 23, 2018 (Spanish)
  13. ↑ Section "Capilla de Naturales" (= Capilla Real) on "vivecholula.gob.mex" in: "web.archive.org" , viewed on May 23, 2018 (Spanish)
  14. ↑ a b c “Ex-Convento de San Gabriel Arcangel” on “” , seen on May 22, 2019
  15. ↑ A plaque on the outside wall shows the date 1540.
  16. ↑ Section "Capilla de Naturales" (= Capilla Real) on "vivecholula.gob.mex" in: "web.archive.org" , viewed on May 23, 2018 (Spanish)
  17. ^ "Convento San Gabriel Arcángel" on "mexicodestinos.com" , seen on May 22, 2019
  18. ↑ Section "Capilla de la Tercera Orden" (= Capilla Real) on "vivecholula.gob.mex" in: "web.archive.org" , viewed on May 23, 2018 (Spanish)