Chapel of Our Lady of Chiquinquirá facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Chapel of Our Lady of Chiquinquirá of La Ceja |
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Capilla de Nuestra Señora de Chiquinquirá de La Ceja
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| Location | La Ceja, Antioquia, Colombia |
| Denomination | Catholic |
| Architecture | |
| Style | Colonial |
| Administration | |
| Diocese | Roman Catholic Diocese of Sonsón–Rionegro |
The Chapel of Our Lady of Chiquinquirá is a special Catholic church in La Ceja, Colombia. It is dedicated to the Virgin Mary under the name of Our Lady of Chiquinquirá. You can find this beautiful chapel on the eastern side of La Ceja's main square. It is part of the Diocese of Sonsón-Rionegro.
This chapel holds the remains of some important Colombian people. These include the poet Gregorio Gutiérrez González and his wife, Julia de Isaza. Also buried here is former President Juan de Dios Aranzazu. He was the first president of Colombia from the Antioquia region. Political and business leader José María Bernal also rests here.
The building has a colonial style, which means it looks like buildings from the time Colombia was a Spanish colony. It has a single rectangular room called a nave, which is the main part of a church. Inside, you can see many old paintings. These paintings are from the 16th, 17th, and 18th centuries. Some of them were created by the famous Colombian artist Gregorio Vasquez de Arce y Ceballos.
Because of its amazing art, the church was declared a "Temple Museum of Religious Art" in 1968. This was done by Monsignor Alfonso Uribe Jaramillo, who was the bishop of Sonsón-Rionegro. Later, on November 2, 1995, the Colombian government also named it a national monument. This means it is a very important historical site for the country.
History of the Chapel
Building the First Chapel
Construction of the Chapel of Our Lady of Chiquinquirá began in 1820. The land for the chapel was given by María Josefa Marulanda. A woman named Bárbara Villegas helped pay for the project. Her family was very devoted to the Virgin Mary of Chiquinquirá.
This new chapel replaced an older one. The previous chapel was built in a place called El Hato in the 18th century. It was dedicated to "La Chinca" and was taken down in 1792. Many items from other chapels, like those in El Burro, El Hato, and Chaparral, were brought to this new chapel to furnish it.
Changes Over Time
In 1829, the bishops of Antioquia visited La Ceja. Fray Mariano Garnica y Orjuela was one of them. He ordered that everything from the chapel be moved to the main parish church. This church was built by Father Mateo Cardona. Because of this order, the chapel was taken apart and left empty for a while.
However, the chapel was used again later. In 1853, the main church of Our Lady of Carmen was being expanded. So, people returned to worship in the Chapel of Our Lady of Chiquinquirá for five years.
See also
In Spanish: Capilla de Nuestra Señora de Chiquinquirá (La Ceja) para niños
