Collegiate Basilica of Our Lady of Guanajuato

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Guanajuato Basilica
inner space
Altar with the figure of Mary

The Collegiate Basilica of Our Lady of Guanajuato ( Spanish Basilica Colegiata de Nuestra Señora de Guanajuato ) is a church in Guanajuato , capital of the state of Mexico of the same name . The church of the Archdiocese of León has the title of a minor basilica . The baroque and classicist church on Plaza de la Paz, built between 1671 and 1696, is one of the most emblematic buildings in Guanajuato. In front of her is the plaque that declares the center of Guanajuato a World Heritage Site.

history

The center of the basilica is the statue of Nuestra Señora de Guanajuato, which is known as the oldest sculpture of the Virgin Mary in America. It is said to have been carved by an anonymous artist in Andalusia and hidden in a cave when the Arabs conquered Granada in 714. After its late rediscovery after the Reconquista , it came from Emperor Charles V to his son Philip II , who gave it in 1557 as a token of thanks to the mining town for the wealth it sent to Spain.

The Madonna of Guanajuato is a 1.15 m high, polychrome cedar wood figure depicting the Virgin Mary and the Child. At first she held a rose in her right hand, which was replaced with a scepter when she arrived in Mexico. A solid silver crown and base were also added. The celebration of her arrival takes place annually on the Assumption on August 8th. It also commemorates the important mining tradition.

In addition to the funerals of local personalities, the baptism of Albino García Ramos, a guerrilla leader during the Mexican War of Independence, took place in the church . The church was given by Pope Pius XII. 1957 awarded the rank of minor basilica. Pope Benedict XVI attended Church on March 24, 2012 and blessed the new golden rose in the hand of the Madonna.

architecture

The Basilica Colegiata de Nuestra Señora de Guanajuato was built between 1671 and 1696. With its baroque and classicist style on the outside, it has a main facade that consists of three bodies, the stone-carved portal in the center, the two bell towers with different attachments on the outside. The interior has the plan of a Latin cross with a nave with a transept, above it a crossing dome with an octagonal drum .

Its construction and decoration was sponsored by the Guanajuato miners. In addition to the patron saint of the city, the church also has images of the Sacred Heart of Jesus , Ignatius of Loyola , and, on top of the main altar, the statue of the Virgin Mary of Guanajuato. The organ has 1098 pipes, the tapestries are also important. The church was equipped with many works of art by the mine owners such as the owner of the Valenciana silver mine, Antonio de Obregón y Alcocer, in the spirit of Creole culture in the Baroque era.

literature

  • Benjamin Arredondo: La Basílica de Nuestra Señora de Guanajuato . In El Bable . 2012. online

Web links

Commons : Basilica of Our Lady of Guanajuato  - Collection of pictures, videos and audio files

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ a b Basílica Colegiata de Nuestra Señora de Guanajuato on gcatholic.org
  2. ↑ UNESCO website with the historic city of Guanajuato and adjacent mines on the website of the UNESCO World Heritage Center ( English and French ).
  3. ↑ a b c Nuestra Señora de Guanajuato (Spanish)
  4. ^ Daniel Cosío Villegas: Historia general de México. Vol. 1, 1976. (Spanish)
  5. ↑ Basílica de Guanajuato, majestuosa obra barroca (Spanish)

Coordinates: 21 ° 0 '59.3 "  N , 101 ° 15' 12"  W.