Rosary Basilica (Chiquinquirá)
The Basilica of Our Lady of the Rosary of Chiquinquirá ( Spanish Basílica de Nuestra Señora del Rosario de Chiquinquirá ) is a Roman Catholic church and a national shrine in Chiquinquirá , Colombia . The pilgrimage church in the Diocese of Chiquinquirá is consecrated as a Marian shrine under the patronage of Our Lady of the Rosary as the patron saint of Colombia and bears the title of a minor basilica .
history
In 1588, Archbishop Luis Zapata de Cardenas laid the foundation stone for the first Church of Our Lady. The President of the Viceroyalty of New Granada Antonio González was present. This stone and brick structure was to be 150 meters long and 38 meters wide. When the Dominicans arrived in 1636, the church was still under construction and the roof was supposed to collapse twice.
Under the Spanish Capuchin monk Domingo de Petrés, a new building began elsewhere in 1795. Petrés was already the architect of the Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception in Bogotá and the Cathedral of Zipaquirá . He directed the construction work until his death in 1811. The church was consecrated in 1823 by Bishop Merida Lasso de la Vega. She received from Pope Pius XI. the title Basilica minor on August 18 of 1927 and was visited by Pope John Paul II on July 3, 1986. On July 29, 1967, the Boyacá region was hit by a strong earthquake that destroyed the church and many houses. The basilica was rebuilt after the tragedy.
description
The three-aisled basilica has an area of 2800 square meters on the plan of a Latin cross. It is closed on the one hand by a round apse with a large ambulatory and on the other hand by a double tower facade . Fifteen chapels surround the aisles and represent the houses of the rosary. The facade has a Doric design and is 27 meters wide. Outside there are two towers with a height of 37 meters. In the middle, four pilasters carry a gable 20 meters high. The dome is 25 meters high and has a navy blue interior.
Behind the altar is the original painting with the Marian title Our Lady of the Rosary of Chiquinquirá . Mary is depicted surrounded by Anthony of Padua and the apostle Andrew. This picture from the 16th century, painted on a cotton backing, forms the center of Marian devotion. After a resolution of January 9, 1910 by Pope Pius X , it received a canonical coronation on July 9, 1919 . In 1944, as the mother queen of Colombia, the picture received the golden scepter and precious jewels.
Web links
- Basilica website (Spanish)
Individual evidence
- ↑ Basílica de Nuestra Señora del Rosario de Chiquinquirá on gcatholic.org
- ↑ History of the Sanctuary (Spanish)
- ↑ Virgin of Chiquinquira (English)
Coordinates: 5 ° 37 '7 " N , 73 ° 49' 1.4" W.