Cuernavaca Cathedral facts for kids

Kids Encyclopedia Facts

Quick facts for kids Cathedral of the Assumption of Mary Catedral de la Asunción de María
Facade and belltower of the cathedral
Religion
Affiliation	Roman Catholic
Province	Diocese of Cuernavaca
Rite	Roman Rite
Ecclesiastical or organizational status	cathedral
Leadership	Bis. Alfonso Cortés Contreras
Year consecrated	16th century
Location
Location	Cuernavaca, Mexico
Architecture
Architectural type	church
Architectural style	Baroque
Groundbreaking	1529 (1529)
Completed	1534
Specifications
Length	80 metres (260 ft)
Width	40 metres (130 ft)
Spire(s)	1
UNESCO World Heritage Site
Official name: Earliest 16th century monasteries on the slopes of Popocatépetl
Type	Cultural
Criteria	ii, iv
Designated	1994
Reference no.	702
State Party	Mexico
Region	Latin America and the Caribbean

The Cuernavaca Cathedral (Spanish: Catedral de la Asunción de María) is a Roman Catholic church located in Cuernavaca, Morelos, Mexico. It's the main church for the Diocese of Cuernavaca.

This church and its surrounding monastery are part of a special group. They are among the earliest 16th-century monasteries near the Popocatepetl volcano. These monasteries are so important that UNESCO named them a World Heritage Site. They were first built to teach Christianity to the local people after the Spanish conquest of the Aztec Empire.

Over time, the monastery church became the main parish church for Cuernavaca. In the late 1800s, it was made into a cathedral. Unlike many cathedrals in Mexico, it's not on the main town square. Instead, it sits in its own walled area with other buildings. The cathedral has been updated several times, with the last big change happening in 1957. This renovation removed old decorations and added modern ones. It also uncovered a 17th-century mural that tells the story of Philip of Jesus and other missionaries in Japan.

History of the Cathedral
What the Cathedral Looks Like
- Open Chapel and Cloister
- Inside the Main Church
Art Collection
Other Chapels
Museum of Religious Art
Images for kids
See also

History of the Cathedral

View of the cathedral from behind, showing its defensive walls

The Cuernavaca Cathedral and city in 1893. (From the Library of US Congress)

A postal card from 1947 showing the Cuernavaca Cathedral.

The Cuernavaca Cathedral was once part of the Monastery of the Assumption of Mary. This monastery was one of many large, fortress-like monasteries built in the early 1500s. They were located near the Popocatepetl volcano in what is now Morelos and Puebla states.

These monasteries were built to help teach Christianity to the native people. This happened soon after the Spanish took over the Aztec Empire. The Cuernavaca monastery was started in 1525 by the first twelve Franciscans who came to New Spain. Building the complex began in 1529 on land given by Hernán Cortés's wife.

The monastery was built with strong, thick walls and battlements. This was to protect the missionaries from local groups who were still hostile. The monastery also had large gardens and lands. These were used by the monks to grow food and other supplies.

The church and its complex were built in stages and changed over time. By the late 1600s, most of the main church was finished. However, only the outer walls and some arches from the earliest parts remain today. This is because the church was remodeled many times due to its importance. It was first important for teaching Christianity, then as a parish church, and later as a cathedral.

In the 1600s, two chapels were added, giving the church a Latin cross shape. In 1713, a dome and a bell tower were added. These new parts were built in the Baroque style, which has lots of fancy decorations. The bell tower has a clock that was originally made for the Segovia Cathedral in Spain. It was given to Hernán Cortés by King Charles V.

By the mid-1700s, the church's inside was richly decorated with religious art. At this time, the main church of the monastery also started serving as the main church for the city of Cuernavaca.

In the late 1800s, laws in Mexico closed many monasteries. The La Asuncion de Maria monastery lost most of its land and buildings. One building that used to be part of the complex is now the Robert Brady Museum. In 1882, an earthquake damaged the top of the bell tower, but it was rebuilt.

In 1891, Pope Leo XIII created the Roman Catholic Diocese of Cuernavaca. This made the Parish of Nuestra Señora de la Asunción into the Cuernavaca Cathedral. The first bishop was Fortino Hipólito Vera.

By the mid-1900s, the church still had some of its old, rich decorations. This included a fancy main altar made in the Churrigueresque style. However, in 1957, the government started a big remodeling project. Some parts were restored to their original look, like the cloister. But the biggest changes were inside the main church.

Old plaster was removed, revealing a large mural from the 17th century. This mural covers about 400 square meters of the walls. It tells the story of Philip of Jesus and other missionaries who were crucified in Nagasaki. The old altars and decorations were mostly removed. They were replaced with simpler, modern designs. The old items were put in an art storage room, but they are not open to the public.

In 1994, the cathedral complex became part of the Monasteries on the slopes of Popocatépetl World Heritage Site.

What the Cathedral Looks Like

View of the cathedral from the Palace of Cortés in the city center.

The cathedral complex is in the historic center of Cuernavaca. But unlike other Mexican cities, this important church is not on the main square. It's just south of it, on the corner of Hidalgo and Morelos Streets.

The complex has a walled area with the main church, a cloister, and several chapels. The main church and cloister are in the northeast part. The other chapels are on the sides or corners. This creates an L-shaped open area called an atrium. This layout is similar to how it was first built, though it's a bit smaller now.

The atrium used to be a cemetery. Today, it has trees and paths connecting the different buildings. In the middle of the atrium is a stone cross on a base. This base might have been a special stone used in ancient rituals. Using it as a base for the cross showed the triumph of Christianity. The cross itself is made from one piece of sandstone.

Open Chapel and Cloister

View of the San José capilla abierta (open chapel).

The Chapel of Santa María.

On the west side of the complex, next to the cathedral, is the capilla abierta (open chapel). This was one of the first Spanish buildings in Cuernavaca. It was used for Mass, plays, music, and dances. These events helped explain and strengthen the Christian faith.

The open chapel's roof is held up by large arches. It also serves as an entrance to the cloister. The cloister is a courtyard surrounded by covered walkways. Today, it's used as offices for the bishop. It has two levels with arched corridors. Some frescos (wall paintings) here show missionaries in the Philippines and Japan.

Inside the Main Church

The main church has a simple front. The only part with fancy decorations is the bell tower, which also has a clock. Just inside the main entrance, there's a bronze statue of Jesus. There's also a very large stone font for baptisms.

Inside, the church looks simple and mostly modern, especially near the main altar. A cross with an image of Christ hangs over the altar. Small modern crosses are on the side walls.

The most important decoration is a large 17th-century mural. This mural was found during the renovations in the mid-1900s. It covers 400 square meters of both side walls of the church's main area (the nave). It tells the story of Philip of Jesus and other missionaries who were killed in Japan.

The mural was likely painted in the mid-1600s. It was made after the Franciscan missionaries were declared "blessed" in 1627. The mural was painted using the fresco technique, which means painting on wet plaster. It has a simple style. Some believe an artist from Asia, helped by local people, painted it. Others think it was purely a local work.

Philip of Jesus was the first Mexican saint. His story was very important to the Franciscans. The mural was covered in the 1800s and forgotten until it was rediscovered in the 1900s.

The mural story begins with Pope Innocence II blessing the 23 missionaries. They arrived in Japan from the Philippines. Scenes show them doing missionary work in Kyoto. Then, they are shown in caged carts, taken by soldiers to Nagasaki. The 24th martyr is Philip of Jesus, who was shipwrecked in Japan. The emperor of Japan, Toyotomi Hideyoshi, offered to spare his life. But Philip refused and was crucified with the others. A legend says that on the day he died, a fig tree in his family's orchard in Mexico came back to life.

Art Collection

The complex also has a pinacotheca, which is a room for storing art. It holds old artifacts, paintings, and other artworks from the 1500s to the 1800s. This collection was started by Francisco Plancarte y Navarrete, the second bishop of Cuernavaca. His personal collection of ancient artifacts and rare religious art became part of a museum.

One important series of paintings is called the "Apostolado." These are twelve paintings, each showing one of the Apostles. This is one of only three such groups of paintings in Mexico. Other paintings include "Stigmatization of Saint Francis of Assisi" from the 1500s. There's also a relief (a sculpture that sticks out from a flat surface) that might be from the church's original main altar. It shows Saint Francis receiving the stigmata.

Other Chapels

Saint Joseph Open Chapel

The most important of the other chapels is the capilla abierta (open chapel), dedicated to Saint Joseph. This chapel was built in the first half of the 1500s. It was used for Mass and other religious activities to help convert the native people. It's possible that Hernán Cortés had this chapel built.

Many native workers from villages around Cuernavaca helped build it. This chapel is unique because it runs parallel to the main church, not perpendicular. It also serves as the entrance to the cloister, which was a new idea in Mexico at the time. The chapel was damaged in the 1882 earthquake. Inside, above the cloister entrance, there's a mural showing the "Spiritual lineage of Saint Francis of Assisi". Today, the open chapel is often used for weddings.

Tercera Orden Chapel

The next important chapel is the Tercera Orden Chapel. It was built in 1722 by a Franciscan friar named Enrique de Jeres. Later, a seminary (a school for training priests) was added to it. This seminary became a very important school in Cuernavaca in the 1800s.

This chapel was built in a style called popular Baroque, with some Churrigueresque elements. The front has sculptures of angels and saints, some with native headdresses. The bell tower has two levels but is not very tall. Inside, it has a Latin cross shape. The main altar is Baroque and richly decorated with colorful flowers, angels, and saints. Native craftspeople built this altar.

Other Chapels

The complex also has the Nuestra Señora de los Dolores Chapel and the Santa Cruz Chapel. The Nuestra Señora de los Dolores Chapel is one of the oldest buildings here, built before the main church. The Santa Cruz Chapel is in a Neogothic style and honors the Our Lady of Mount Carmel.

Museum of Religious Art

The Museo de Arte Sacro (Museum of Religious Art) opened on July 12, 2018. Its entrance is in the southwest corner of the church complex. The museum cost about $2 million USD to build. It holds 92 paintings, sculptures, priestly clothes, and other items from the 1500s to the 2000s.

The first room is about Catholic worship. It includes a statue of La Diosa Tonantzin, a fertility goddess found under the main altar. It also has priestly vestments and paintings. The second room is about St. Francis of Assisi. It features Estigmatización de San Francisco (Stigmatization of San Francisco) by Andrés de la Concha from the late 1500s.

The third room focuses on how Christianity came to Mexico. It highlights Our Lady of Guadalupe. Here you can find El Señor de Chalma con Florones (Lord of Chalma with Rosettes) and La Resurrección de Cristo (The Resurrection of Christ), believed to be by José de Ibarra from the 1700s. Paintings by Juan Correa include El Nacimiento de la Virgen (Birth of the Virgin) and La Educación de la Virgen (Education of the Virgin). Simon Pereyns is represented by La Crucifixión (The Crucifixion). There is an entrance fee to visit the museum.