Royal Convent of Jesús María and Our Lady of Mercy facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Royal Convent of Jesús María and Our Lady of Mercy |
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Convento Real de Jesús María y Nuestra Señora de la Merced
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The church's exterior, 2012
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 Royal Convent of Jesús María and Our Lady of Mercy
Location in Mexico
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| 19°25′55″N 99°07′42″W / 19.4320°N 99.1282°W | |
| Location | Mexico City |
| Country | Mexico |
| History | |
| Founded | 1580 |
The Royal Convent of Jesús María and Our Lady of Mercy (Spanish: Convento Real de Jesús María y Nuestra Señora de la Merced) is a beautiful old church in the heart of Mexico City, Mexico. It started as a special home for girls who didn't have parents or enough money to get married. This convent, called Jesús María, was the third of its kind in Mexico City when it opened in 1580. The people who started it got money from Philip II of Spain, a powerful king. He wanted Jesús María to become a very important convent in New Spain (which is what Mexico was called back then).
Contents
History of the Convent
Why the Convent Was Built
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In the 1500s, the Archbishop of Mexico City, Pedro Moya de Contreras, was worried. Many girls in the city were orphans. Most of these girls were the children or grandchildren of Spanish explorers, called conquistadores, or early settlers in New Spain.
These girls often couldn't get married because their families didn't have enough money for a dowry. A dowry was money or property given by the bride's family to the groom or his family. Without a dowry, these girls also couldn't join convents, as convents often needed money to support themselves.
To help these girls, a kind person named Pedro Tomás de Denia decided to start a convent. He got help from Gregorio Pesquera, who gave a lot of money. De Denia then traveled to Mexico's northern mines to raise even more funds.
Their efforts caught the attention of important leaders like Martín Enríquez de Almanza and Archbishop Moya de Contreras. The archbishop asked everyone to help with the project. Enough money was raised, and de Denia bought a building on April 11, 1578. Moya de Contreras then moved ten nuns from another convent to help run Jesús María. The convent opened in 1580 with fifteen girls. It was a home for Conceptionist sisters. This made Jesús María the third Conceptionist convent in Mexico City.
Royal Support from the King
Even though de Denia and others had bought the building, they didn't have enough money to keep the convent running. So, de Denia went to Spain to ask for help from Philip II of Spain, the king. He also asked the Vatican (the Pope's home) for special religious benefits. These benefits would make the convent a popular place for pilgrimages, which would bring in more donations.
De Denia met with King Philip II and gave him a letter from Archbishop Moya de Contreras. The letter explained what the convent needed. King Philip II agreed to help. He promised 60,000 ducados (an old type of money) to be paid over twenty years. On February 4, 1583, he also declared himself the convent's main supporter. He ordered that Archbishop Moya de Contreras would be in charge of all matters related to the convent.
King Philip II also made sure the convent's location would not change. He even asked the Pope to make Jesús María the most special chapel in New Spain for earning indulgences (a way to reduce punishment for sins).
A Mexican historian named Carlos de Sigüenza y Góngora wrote that King Philip II was very eager to support the convent because he cared for his daughter, Micaela de los Ángeles. She was born outside of marriage. In the letter de Denia gave to the king, Moya de Contreras explained how he was taking care of Micaela at the convent. Micaela was also Moya de Contreras' niece. She came to New Spain with Moya de Contreras when she was two years old because King Philip II wanted to avoid problems in Spain. Micaela first lived in another convent. When Jesús María opened, the nun who cared for Micaela became the first leader, or abbess, of the new convent. Micaela was twelve years old when Jesús María was founded.
Building Changes and New Uses
The convent building started to get bigger on March 15, 1597. This was during the time of Gaspar de Zúñiga, 5th Count of Monterrey. According to the historian Sigüenza y Góngora, the building work cost about MXN$109,745.
Later, on February 16, 1621, the building was changed into a temple by Diego Fernández de Córdoba, 1st Marquess of Guadalcázar. In 1892, the building started to fall apart. It was rebuilt in a new style called neoclassical architecture.
On April 1, 1933, the government ordered that religious services stop, and the temple was closed. Today, the former temple is still a church in the historic center of Mexico City.
See also
In Spanish: Convento de Jesús María (Ciudad de México) para niños
- List of colonial churches in Mexico City
