Templo Expiatorio del Santísimo Sacramento facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Templo Expiatorio del Santísimo Sacramento |
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| Location | Guadalajara, Jalisco, Mexico |
 Location in Mexico
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The Templo Expiatorio del Santísimo Sacramento is a beautiful Catholic church in Guadalajara, Jalisco, Mexico. It is dedicated to the Blessed Sacrament, which is a special part of Catholic worship. This church is built in the neo-Gothic style, which means it looks like the grand churches from the Middle Ages. Many people consider it the best example of this style in Mexico. Building the church took a very long time, starting on August 15, 1897, and finally finishing 75 years later in 1972.
Contents
Building the Church: A Long Journey
The idea for this special church in Guadalajara began in the late 1800s. A group of Catholic people wanted to build a temple just for the Blessed Sacrament.
Choosing the Design
The city's archbishop, Pedro Loza y Pardavé, and the committee held a contest. They invited architects and engineers to submit their designs for the new church. The winning design came from Adamo Boari, a famous architect from Italy. He was brought to Mexico by the president at the time, Porfirio Díaz. Boari had also worked on other important buildings like the Palacio de Bellas Artes and the Palacio de Correos de Mexico in Mexico City.
Construction Begins
The construction officially started with a ceremony on August 15, 1897. Archbishop Pedro Loza y Pardavé and Pedro Romero led the event. The first stone was laid that day. By 1911, the large columns inside the church were already finished. Canon Pedro Moreno and foreman Feliciano Arías were in charge of the project. When Feliciano Arías passed away, his son Jerónimo Arías took over.
Pauses in Building
Work on the church had to stop for a while during the Mexican Revolution. This was a difficult time for Mexico, with fighting and economic problems. There were also challenges for religious groups, which made it hard to continue building.
Finishing the Work
In February 1924, Pedro Romero died. The priest José Garibi Rivera was then given the important task of finishing the church. He quickly asked engineer Luis Ugarte to help him. Building picked up speed again. On January 6, 1927, architect Ignacio Díaz Morales became the main supervisor. He guided the project all the way until it was finally completed in 1972.
Features of the Church
The Templo Expiatorio is full of amazing details.
Doors and Mosaics
The church's large doors are made from a special wood called granadilla. They were carved by Jesús Gómez Velazco. These doors also have beautiful bronze pictures called high reliefs, made by Benito Castañeda. Look up at the three curved spaces above the main doors on the front of the church. These are called tympana. They are decorated with stunning Italian mosaics, which are pictures made from tiny pieces of colored glass or stone. These mosaics were created in the Vatican's Mosaic Factory.
- The mosaic in the middle shows the Paschal Lamb, a symbol of Jesus.
- The mosaic on the east side shows Saint Tarcisius.
- The mosaic on the west side shows St. Pius X.
These mosaics were designed by Francisco Bencivenga, a painter and expert from the Vatican Museums. He also made sure they were placed perfectly.
The Clock and Bells
The church has a special clock that came all the way from Germany. It has four faces that light up. Along with the clock, there's a set of 25 bells called a carillon. These bells can play 25 different songs, both religious and popular tunes. Some of the songs include "Ave María", the Mexican National Anthem, "Las Mañanitas", "Guadalajara", "Adiós Mariquita Linda", "Las Golondrinas", "México Lindo y Querido", and the "March of Zacatecas". You can also play the bells from a keyboard inside the church. The clock and bells were very expensive, costing about 450 million pesos in 1972 (which would be about MXN$450,000 today). German experts installed them.
There's a fun detail on the bell tower, which is called a campanile. When a song plays, tiny statues of the 12 apostles move in and out of the tower!
Materials and Windows
Most of the church is built from stone. The stone was carved by hand, just like buildings were made in the Middle Ages. The huge, colorful stained glass windows are also very impressive. This includes the large round window on the front, called a rosette window. These windows were made by Jacques and Gerard Degusseau in Orléans, France. Their designs were based on drawings by the artist Maurice Rocher from Paris.
See also
In Spanish: Templo Expiatorio del Santísimo Sacramento para niños
