Diocesan Sanctuary of Our Lady of Guadalupe Facts for Kids

Quick facts for kids Diocesan Sanctuary of Our Lady of Guadalupe
Sanctuary of Our Lady of Guadalupe in June 2008
Religion
Affiliation	Roman Catholic
Location
Location	Michoacán, Mexico
Architecture
Architectural type	Church

The Diocesan Sanctuary of Our Lady of Guadalupe, also known as the Sanctuary of Our Lady of Guadalupe, is a beautiful Catholic church in Zamora, Michoacán, Mexico. It is built in the Gothic revival style, which means it looks like older Gothic churches. Its tall towers reach 107.5 meters (about 353 feet) high. This makes it the tallest church building in Mexico!

History of the Sanctuary
- Starting Construction
- Construction Stops
Rebuilding the Sanctuary
The Sanctuary Today
Image gallery
See also

History of the Sanctuary

The first stone for this amazing church was placed on February 2, 1898. This day is known as the feast of Candlemas. The second bishop of Zamora, Don Jose Ma. Càzares y Martinez, led this important event. A local architect from Zamora, Jesús Hernández Segura, designed the church. The area needed a large church because a new diocese (a church district) had been created there in 1862.

Starting Construction

Building work began in 1898. More than 300 people worked hard on the site. The church was planned in the Gothic revival style. It had a special design with a dome over the main crossing area. The church would have five large sections called naves. By the end of 1910, four of these naves had roofs. A lot of stone was used to help build it quickly.

Construction Stops

The Mexican Revolution brought many challenges to Zamora and all of Mexico. Because of these problems, building work on the church stopped in 1914. Later, another conflict called the Cristero War also caused delays. Construction was put on hold for a very long time.

During these years, only about half of the church was finished. Four of the naves were complete, and all the main pillars were in place. Sadly, the original building plans were lost during the conflicts. Only a drawing of the front of the church and a general plan remained. Also, much of the stone that was meant for the church disappeared. The building was even damaged when the army used one of its stone walls. This wall still has many marks, serving as a quiet reminder of those difficult times when people faced challenges for their beliefs.

Rebuilding the Sanctuary

After many years of waiting, in 1988, Josè E. Jiménez Robles, who was the eighth bishop of Zamora, started planning to finish the church. In 1989, they decided to dedicate the building to Our Lady of Guadalupe. Finishing the church seemed almost impossible because there wasn't much money and it would take a very long time.

Reconstruction began in 1990. They decided on a new design for the front of the church, which looked a bit like the Gothic cathedral in Milan. Instead of a dome, a tall, pointed spire was added at the crossing. This spire fit better with the pure Gothic style. Workers cleaned the walls, fixed cracks, and made the walls stronger. The towers were redesigned to be more spacious. The area around the church was paved to make the building more stable.

The Sanctuary Today

Today, the construction of the Sanctuary is almost complete. The final touches are being added. The large Pipe organ, made by Alexander Schuke Potsdam Orgelbau, was installed in early 2009. With its newly finished spires, the towers now stand at 107.5 meters tall. The lights inside the church are all finished. In special spots on the pillars, you can see images of saints with their names written underneath.