Cathedral of Chihuahua facts for kids
The Metropolitan Cathedral of Chihuahua is a very important church in Chihuahua City, Mexico. It is the main Catholic Church building in the city. Many people think it's one of the best examples of old Spanish-style buildings in northern Mexico. This amazing cathedral was built a long time ago, between 1725 and 1792. It is also the main church for the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Chihuahua, which is like a big church district.
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Exploring the Cathedral's Design
The cathedral stands proudly in the Plaza de Armas, a main square in Chihuahua City. It was designed in the Baroque style, which was popular in Spain a long time ago. This style often features lots of fancy decorations and dramatic shapes. The church is shaped like a latin cross when you look at it from above. It also has a large dome right in the middle, where the arms of the cross meet.
The Front of the Cathedral
The front of the cathedral, called the façade, is very special. It uses unique twisted columns called "solomonic columns." These were not very common in Mexico at that time. You can also see a cool octagon-shaped window that came all the way from Germany. It's a great example of old glassmaking art.
Above the main entrance, there are statues of the twelve apostles. Higher up, there's a clock, and on top of everything, a sculpture of an angel. The clock was added in 1874, replacing the old Spanish royal coat of arms.
Inside the Cathedral
Inside, the main part of the church, called the nave, is separated from the side walkways by large arches. These arches hold up the heavy ceiling. On the right side, near the entrance, there's a lovely baptistry chapel.
Across from the baptistry, on the left side, is the Chapel of Christ of Mapimí. This chapel holds the tomb of St Peter of Jesus Maldonado. He was a priest and a martyr who was made a saint in 2000. The chapel has an old altar screen, called a retablo, from the 1700s. It mixes simple and fancy art styles.
The main altar is quite unusual because it's a "double altar." A smaller altar made of white Carrara marble was added to a larger one made of local stone. High up in the east side of the church, there's a large pipe organ. It was built in 1885 and later updated.
Special Chapels and Museum
The Blessed Sacrament Chapel is a beautiful part of the cathedral with fancy baroque and rococo designs. You can enter it through a door on the south side of the nave. Above its entrance, there's a sculpture showing Our Lady of Regla and two saints, St Francis of Assisi and Rita of Cascia. Below them are the figures of Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego from a Bible story.
The Sacred Art Museum is located in the basement of the cathedral. It's next to the tombs of past church leaders. The museum has a collection of old paintings by famous artists from the Colonial era. You can also see portraits of Pope John Paul II and other church leaders. The special chair, or throne, that the Pope used when he visited Chihuahua in 1990 is also on display. There are also many life-sized statues of saints, some of which are two centuries old!
A Look at the Cathedral's History
The story of the cathedral began when a Spanish citizen named Don Juan Antonio Trasviña y Retes gave the land for the first church.
The very first stone of the cathedral was placed on June 21, 1725. The church was built with money from local businesses and mine owners. They also used a special tax on silver mined in the area.
Many people worked on building the cathedral over the years. Master Architect José de la Cruz finalized the plans. The towers started being built in 1758, and the bells, which were made in 1730, were finally placed in the towers in 1780.
The entire church was finished in 1792. It was slightly damaged during a conflict with France in Mexico, but it was repaired. On June 23, 1891, it officially became a cathedral. Later, on November 22, 1958, Chihuahua's church district was made even bigger, becoming an archdiocese.
In 1910, the cathedral was decorated with lights to celebrate 100 years of Mexico's independence. It wasn't until 2005 that the cathedral was lit up permanently. In October 2008, a special light show took place to celebrate Chihuahua City's 300th birthday.
Images for kids
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The Chapel of the Blessed Sacrament before its restoration.
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The Chapel of the Blessed Sacrament after a two-year restoration, finished in December 2010.
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A close-up of the unique double High Altar.
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The Baptistry Chapel inside the cathedral.
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The Chapel of Christ of Mapimi, showing the Tomb of St Peter of Jesus.
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The Walcker organ located in the east gallery.
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A statue of Our Lady of Sorrows.
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The screen behind the main doors of the nave.
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A side altar on the northern side of the chancel.
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The dome over the crossing of the cathedral.
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A detailed view of the sculpture above the entrance to the Blessed Sacrament Chapel.
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A detail of one of the cathedral's arches.
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A close-up of one of the windows in the dome.
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A display of lights at the Tricentenary celebrations.
More Information
- Official Cathedral of Chihuahua website (Spanish): https://web.archive.org/web/20100324044049/http://www.catedraldechihuahua.org.mx/
- Gob.mx: Cathedral of Chihuahua (Spanish)
- Archdiocese of Chihuahua website (Spanish)
- Organsociety.org: Chihuahua Cathedral's pipe organ
it:Arcidiocesi di Chihuahua
