Monastery of Santiago Apóstol, Cuilapan de Guerrero facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Convento de Santiago Apóstol |
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Inside of the open-air Basilica
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| Religion | |
| Affiliation | Roman Catholic |
| Province | Archdiocese of Antequera, Oaxaca |
| Rite | Latin Rite |
| Year consecrated | 1556 |
| Location | |
| Location | Cuilapan de Guerrero, Oaxaca de Juárez |
| Architecture | |
| Architect(s) | Antonio de Barbosa |
| Architectural type | church |
| Architectural style | Gothic, Renaissance, Plateresque, Mudéjar |
| Groundbreaking | 1556 |
| Completed | 1570 (halted) |
| Materials | cantera |
The Ex-monastery of Santiago Apóstol is a very old and impressive building. It is located in the town of Cuilapan de Guerrero in the Mexican state of Oaxaca. This large, fortress-like place is easy to spot from the highway. Many people, both from Mexico and other countries, come to visit it.
The monastery sits on a small hill. From here, you can see a lot of the valley around it. It is one of the most amazing buildings from the time when Spain ruled Mexico. However, it is sometimes less known than other churches near Mexico City.
This special place is built from green stone and river rocks. It is very quiet inside, and you can hear your footsteps echo. The monastery has many beautiful parts. These include a tall, open-air basilica, a fancy baptismal font, and a Gothic-style cloister. There are also old paintings on the walls called murals. All these parts are considered national treasures.
The murals are very important. They show how local Mixtec and Zapotec art mixed with Christian ideas. This helped people learn about Christianity in a way they could understand. Today, the main church is still used for religious services. But the roofless basilica and the cloister are managed by INAH. This group works to restore old buildings. They use some rooms for fixing old art and have a small museum. It displays important religious items from the 1500s.
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A Look at Its Past
Construction of this large monastery started in the 1550s. A group of priests called the Dominicans came to Oaxaca. They settled in Cuilapan in 1550. Their job was to teach Christianity in the central valleys.
In 1555, the government gave permission to build the complex. They said it should be "modest," meaning not too fancy. Building began in 1556. Antonio de Barbosa was the designer. The monastery mixes many European building styles from the 1500s. These include Gothic, Renaissance, Plateresque, and Mudéjar styles. You can also see some local native designs in the decorations.
Unlike bigger monasteries, this one was quite small at first. In 1555, only four friars lived there. They were in charge of the local priests. These local priests likely built their church in the middle of the old Mixtec town.
Why Was It Never Finished?
The building work stopped in the 1570s. No one knows the exact reason why. One idea is that it became too grand and fancy. This might have gone against the rule to keep it "modest." Another reason could be a lack of money.
There was also a big argument about who should pay for the building. If it was on private land, the landowner paid. If it was on government land, the government paid. This disagreement might have stopped the work. Also, the number of native people in the area dropped a lot. This meant fewer workers were available. The break in construction was supposed to be short, but it became permanent.
In 1753, the church and monastery became "secularized." This means control moved from the Dominicans to regular priests. At this time, the monastery had many valuable religious items. It was the main meeting place for native people and Spaniards. It was also the center of town life. However, after this, the monastery lost its wealth and importance. The new leaders did not take good care of it. By the 1800s, it was no longer used for religious purposes.
A famous Mexican leader, Vicente Guerrero, was held prisoner here. He was kept in a small room in the lower cloister. He was later executed on February 14, 1831.
The basilica and church were unfinished and mostly unused even in the 1800s. The main church got a roof in the 1800s and early 1900s. It is the only part still used for worship today. The basilica and other monastery parts are now tourist spots. They are managed by INAH.
During the Cristero War in 1926, the complex had to close. When it reopened three years later, much of it became a school for local children. Ten years later, the school moved. On July 10, 1937, the monastery was declared a national monument.
Exploring the Monastery's Design
The monastery complex is built around a large, walled courtyard called an atrium. There are small stone chapels in two corners of this courtyard. This large atrium was important for two reasons. It looked like the big courtyards of ancient temples. It also provided space for the 20,000 people who lived in the area in the 1560s. With only a few friars and a small church, large services had to be held outside. The atrium once had a big cross, but only its base remains today.
The biggest building is a rectangular basilica without a roof. It has beautiful arches on its outside walls. The front of the building is in the Plateresque style. It has three arched entrances. Above them is a triangular top with a crest. In the middle of this top part is the symbol of the Dominican order. A dog next to it represents Saint Dominic of Guzman. On each side of the front are two towers with round bases and pointed tops.
Inside, the building has three main sections called naves. Heavy columns with Tuscan tops divide these naves. These columns were meant to hold up a complex Gothic roof. There are also many arched entrances on the sides of the building that lead nowhere. This makes some people think it was an "open chapel." But no one truly knows why it was built this way. The three-nave design was also unusual for that time in Mexico. Most new churches had only one nave. Old documents do not explain why this older design was chosen. A plaque inside has a mix of Mixtec symbols and the date 1555 written in Arabic numbers.
Next to this basilica, you can see a small wall and a pile of rocks. These are the remains of the first wall. The rocks were meant for a house for Hernán Cortés, a famous Spanish conqueror. But Cortés later gave up on this project.
The Main Church and Cloister
While smaller, a more traditional church is considered the main one. It is still used for religious services. This church looks simple. It has strong buttresses supporting a round dome. Inside, there is an altar with paintings by Andrés de la Concha. There is also a tombstone for Fray Francisco Burgoa. This church has one main section, a choir area, a baptistery (for baptisms), and a presbytery (for the altar). Next to the church is an area for pilgrims. This area still has some of its original rooms and parts of its murals. Pilgrims were travelers who often stayed here if they had no money for a hotel.
The cloister is a two-story building. Much of it was repaired in 1962. INAH uses many rooms on the second floor for restoration work. There were also portraits of priests on the second floor, but they have mostly faded away. Vicente Guerrero was held in a part of this cloister for three days. The window of his cell is now a point of interest. South of the monastery, there is a monument to his execution.
Amazing Murals and Art
One of the most important things about the monastery is its murals and other decorations. There are murals painted in one color (monochromatic) and in many colors (polychromatic). The single-color murals are more common. The murals show scenes from the Bible and other religious stories. They have interesting local changes. For example, the use of single-color paintings was unique.
You can find images and symbols from Mixtec and Zapotec traditions in the murals and in the building's design. The goal was to mix the spiritual ideas of Mesoamerica (ancient Mexico) and Spain. This made it easier for native people to convert to Christianity. They could see similarities between their old beliefs and the new ones. This helped them slowly accept the new religion and culture. The large atrium, which looks like an ancient temple courtyard, is a clear example of this. A mural of the crucifixion in the basilica's sacristy even shows landscapes that look like Cuilapan. The single-color scenes in the hallways refer to the religious practices and beliefs of the Mixtec people.
See also
In Spanish: Templo y exconvento de Santiago apóstol de Cuilápam para niños
