Maria-Hilf-Basilica (Lima)

from Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Interior of the church

The Basilica of Mary Help of Christendom ( Spanish Basílica de María Auxiliadora ) is a Roman Catholic church in Lima , the capital of Peru . The Church of the Salesians of Don Bosco in the Archdiocese of Lima is under the invocation of Mary Help of Christians of Mary (mother of Jesus) dedicated and carries the title of a Minor Basilica .

history

The Salesians came to Peru in 1891. After a first attempt, in 1916 they began building the church in Lima as the most important religious building of the Salesian Congregation in Peru. It was designed by the Italian Salesians Ernesto Vespignani as architect and Carlos Pane. Pane led the work until 1923 and was particularly concerned with the financing. After construction began in May 1916, the engineer José Salassa took over the technical management of the work. On April 27, 1917, the foundation stone was laid in the crypt on the site of the future main altar by President José Pardo . The date was the laying of the foundation stone of the Salesian Church Maria-Hilf-Basilica in Turin and the feast of St. Toribio de Mogrovejo . On September 2, 1917, the crypt was consecrated on the three hundredth anniversary of the death of St. Rosa of Lima . In July 1921, the month of the centenary of Peruvian independence, the temple was not yet completed. Nonetheless, the blessing ceremony for July 29th and the solemn consecration for July 30th were arranged and, with the assistance of President Augusto B. Leguía, became part of the official acts of Peru's centenary. The front with its monumental 56 meter high tower was consecrated on December 8, 1924 as part of the celebrations for the centenary of the Battle of Ayacucho . In 1962, Pope John XXIII exalted the church to the minor basilica.

architecture

The three-aisled basilica was designed in the neo-Byzantine - neo-Romanesque style. With a length of 70 meters and a width of 30 meters, it covers an area of ​​2000 square meters. The central nave is spanned by a high barrel vault and leads to a round apse after the transept . 14 side chapels extend from the side aisles with cross vaults . The facade has three access doors, in front of the main gate the 56 meter high bell tower rises in the middle on a portico and shows a large statue of the Virgin Mary.

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ Santuario Basílica María Auxiliadora on gcatholic.org
  2. ^ David Franco Córdova: The Basilica of Mary's Help of Christians: Design and Construction (1916-1924) . In the Salesian Bulletin (Lima) September / October 2015.

Coordinates: 12 ° 3 ′ 39.9 ″  S , 77 ° 2 ′ 33.9 ″  W.