Puebla Colonial: Convents, churches and the Cathedral
Puebla City Down Town is one of the most beautiful legacy of mankind, its architecture is rich in various styles, straight streets, forming an almost perfect grid, keeps having the character of the Spanish Colony.
Among the many colonial buildings it is included those built primarily to establish the Catholic religion, brought by the Spanish colonizers with their missionaries to the new continent: The Convents and Churches.
The most important, located in the right center, facing the city hall, is the Cathedral of Puebla. Very close and around, there are many temples erected to the various Catholic Saints.
Following you will find a list of colonial churches and convents, its location and short history. Click on the related name:
Convents of Friars
Convents of Nuns
Churches
THE CATHEDRAL OF PUEBLA
Location: 16 de Septiembre street, between 3 Sur and 5 Sur.
Down Town, Zip 72000
Puebla.
Open daily from 6:30 to 12:30 and 16:00 to 19:30 hours.
Today's headquarters in Puebla archdiocese, the cathedral was commissioned to be built by Fray Julian Garces, Bishop of Tlaxcala in 1536, to 5 years of the founding of the City, and completed preliminary 1539. After that, the colonial authorities decided to build a larger temple, a project entrusted to the architect Francisco Becerra in 1575. During construction there is a problem that caused delays, for which it was terminated until April 18 1649 by Juan de Palafox y Mendoza. It was dedicated to the Immaculate Conception.
The main facade in gray quarry, from the Cerro de Guadalupe, with covers showing sculptures with images of San Pedro and San Pablo, San Jose, as Santiago, Santa Rosa de Lima, San Miguel Archangel, St. Teresa of Avila and St. Gabriel Archangel.
The interior has fourteen side chapels, the first two located under the towers and the main altar in the center which is also called the Altar of the Kings that include sculptures and paintings of the era. The royal chapel stands the smaller dome.
The altar was designed by Manuel Tolsa and built in 1797, and completed until 1818. Under it are the remains of the bishops poblanos.
It is built on a rectangular surface in the direction from east to west, this side of the main facade. It has five bodies, a central, two processional and two chapels. The main divided into nine sections, two of retrochoir, two choirs, one of the dome to a square, two for the plesbiterio, joining a procession to the ships head and the final section is more wide at the royal chapel.
Convento de San Francisco
Location: 14 Oriente Street and Boulevard 5 de Mayo.
Paseo de San Francisco.
One of the first Missions to founding Puebla City was from the order of Minor Franciscan Friars, this founded by Francisco de Asís. The first of the convents in Puebla was the Convent of San Francisco, whose construction began headed by Fray Toribio de Benavente by the year 1535. A nearby temple was built in 1550 and was completed by the year 1767. The construction of the sacristy and the big stay room was completed by 1570; the old bell tower was completed until 1672 and into 1730 the new bell was installed.
Its facade in Churrigueresque style is pool and combined with cooked red brick with talavera tiles, the poblano classical style of the era, by the work of Spanish architect Jose Buitrago. There are panels representing vases of flowers and to God the Father with the Virgin Mary in talavera tile.
In the center there is a door carved with representations of Santo Domingo de Guzman and San Francisco de Asis.
In a niche, it can be seen the sculpture of St. Anthony of Padua and the other to the Blessed Virgin of Defense.
The Stigmata of St. Francis of Asis also can be seen in high relief at the top, next to the sculpture of Santiago Apostol. On the right it can be seen the sculpture of St. Christopher and a mixed eye window divides the second and third body of the marble facade.
It can be seen in the third body to San Jose with the baby Jesus, on the both sides the parents of the Virgin Mary. The right side is located San Joaquin and Santa Ana at the left side. The ledge finishes with a niche where the Virgin Mary and, on the cusp San Miguel Archangel.
The Great Tower of the church with 63 meters height is located on the roof of a small chapel. Construction of this began in 1730 and ended in 1748. The placement of the bells ended in 1767.
The Side Church, located to the north, is the oldest in the city, consists of three sections: the first with a bow door, rounded corners with jambs and pillars with relief. The second body is on the ledge from the first one with two pillars and in the center and a niche with a stone cross. The third body provides an arc with the shield of Tlaxcala, where it was initially represented the diocese Archbishop Julian Garces, whose seat had been just changed to Puebla.
Inside the temple there are two rows of columns on both sides of the facilities, which hold a hallway with balustrade. The ancient altars were replaced by neoclassical. The decoration in all available space is popular paintings, including the snap of the ogival roof. The choir stalls is of Rococo style and is composed of 79 seats, 45 in the top and 34 at the bottom. It is made of cedar wood.
The temple consists of a single body whose main gate is towards the west, and another door to the north. On this is also the coat of arms of the Tlaxcala state.
The altar was also developed on a neoclassical style, designed by the notable architect Jose Manzo Jaramillo. It consists of columns with Corinthian capitals and fluted bole. In the center is the crucified Christ carved in wood and made in the top medallion with a relief in oil, which displays the stigmata of San Francisco de Asis, by Miguel Cabrera. You can see two sides to seal windows dedicated to the brotherhood, to the left to Santo Domingo de Guzman and the right to San Francisco de Asis.
The chapels of the temple are dedicated, one from the interior to the Virgin of Fatima, located at the foot of the church offers a barrel vault and lunettes; it is also dedicated to the Sacred Heart of Jesus and the Virgin of Guadalupe, contains sculptures of Santo Domingo de Guzman, San Francisco de Asis, Pope Pius V, and Pope Pius VI. The altarpiece is Baroque style, Solomon decorated with filigree.
Outside the chapel, located on the left wing, is dedicated to the Virgen de la Macarena. It is a room of six squares roof edge, which is separated by pillars that are supporting the arches. This chapel is not connected to the temple because it was used to evangelize the Indians. Today is dedicated to Divine Providence, San Francisco de Asis and Blessed Sebastian de Aparicio.
The third chapel is composed of a large body with barrel vault with lunettes, ends in a dome and vault trapeze skiff with forming a dressing room. In this is located the incorrupt body of Blessed Sebastian de Aparicio, as well as the famous image is the Virgin of the Conquest, also called the Virgin Conqueror. Images of San Joaquin and Santa Ana, are on the altar, and paintings of the Blessed Sebastian de Aparicio and San Francisco de Asis.
Much of the monastery was dedicated to the Military Hospital. This part was subsequently vacated and now the Aparicio Center School.
Convent of Santo Domingo
Location: Calle 5 de Mayo No. 407, corner of 4 Norte Street.
Down Town.
Visit: Daily from 7:30 to 14:00 and 16:00 to 20:00 hours
Open from Sunday to Saturday from 10:00 to 12:00 hours and 16:00 to 18:00 hours.
The convent of Santo Domingo, founded by the Dominican Order, one of the first orders to come to Mexico to evangelize the natives, together with the orders of Franciscans and Augustinians, this founded by the Spanish Friar Domingo de Guzman in 1216 and is characterized by the opulence of its temples, churches and chapels. It consists of the main temple, the Chapel of the Rosary, the Chapel of the Third Order, the Mixtecos Chapel, and the House of the Friars, all this as part of the complex, with a large atrium at the front. The complex was modified during the Reformation, between 1855 and 1861, a period in which it was expropriated of their land, because then the Dominicans were opponents of the Liberal government.
In the main facade is a magnificent arch grille, mannerist style, including Tuscan-style columns, with a big window to the center and below it can be seen at St. Michael the Archangel with dogs on the sides.
The temple, of Baroque style, was built between 1571 and 1659, initiated by architect Francisco Becerra. It was dedicated to the Archangel Michael, whose image is used in the center of the main doorway. On this, it can be seen Santo Domingo and the cross with Liz flowers that is the shield of the order. As heraldic emblems of the saint, are four dogs with torches in the jaws and balloons in the legs. In the left wing, with access from the inside, it is the Capilla del Rosario, the first chapel dedicated to Our Lady of the Rosary, it was finished in 1690 and its Mexican Baroque style is much richer, and the altar of which is appreciated the image of the Virgen del Rosario, is surrounded by many saints, angels and martyrs. It was long regarded as the eighth wonder of the world.
Convent of San Agustín
Location: Calle 5 Sur No. 305, corner with 3 Poniente.
Down Town, Puebla.
Built to the order of Augustine, the former convent of St. Augustine was built under license from Viceroy Antonio de Mendoza in 1546. The temple was built initially with the top in wooden roof, and in 1612 began the current, completed in 1629.
At one time it was used as a fortress, taking advantage of its location and height, and defending the entrances to the south and west of the city.
The main doorway of a small shows a great relief on the patronage of St. Augustine, as well as niches and sculptures of Santa Monica and Santos notables of the order, such as San Nicolas Tolentino San Guillermo Tolosa and San Juan de Sahagun. It consists of two bodies. The first made on paired Doric pilasters with niches. The second body has the same pattern but with Ionic pilasters. It has two other side pilasters that contain central relief representing the "Vision of St. Augustine."
The temple is after the cathedral, one of the largest in the City down town. It is dedicated to the Annunciation of Our Lady. Its interior has a Latin cross plan chapels and niches at the sides of the body. It also can be seen a beautiful sculpture of San Nicolas Tolentino, on one of the side chapels. The dome is not sufficient to be half orange, and no drum pendentives are covered by a great block on the outside.
Convent of La Merced
Ubicación: 5 Norte street corner with 10 Poniente st.
Down Town, Puebla.
In the seventeenth century, it was founded with the name of Military Order of the Convent of La Merced. The arrival of the order to Puebla occurred in 1598 and received from the bishop the chapel of the Roman saints Cosme and Damian, where they could build their convent if always it would be dedicated to these saints. They built a church and a convent on 1628. There were many changes, so the current look different, according to lithographs, 1856, describing the original.
The facade of the temple consists of two bodies and an auction, under the body of a Doric columns at the sides where there are niches in which are seen representations of San Cosme y San Damian, and a relief of La Virgen de la Merced. The interior is of a single body with cruising. It has two side chapels and the set does seem that it has three naves.
Convent of El Carmen
Location: 16 de Septiembre St. and 17 Oriente
Down Town, Puebla.
The convent and the current temple dates from the sixteenth century, when in 1586, the friars of the order of Carmen arrived in Puebla and Bishop Don Diego Romano provided them with the Hermitage of los Remedios.
The church has a cruciform plan with a body covered by a barrel vault with lunettes, drum and dome flat ends. On one side is the convent and on the other three chapels, the first dedicated to Santa Cruz, the second is the Sagrario chapel or Santa Teresa’s, and the third dedicated to Our Lady of Carmen.They were built around 1630 by Don Antonio Cervantes and Carvajal.
At the bottom of the atrium, it is formed the arches of the Porter, with ornaments in relief decorated with tiles.
Convent of la Concepcion
Location: 7 Poniente and 16 de Septiembre.
Down Town, Puebla.
The cure Xonotlan, Leonardo Ruiz de la Peña, founded with Sisters of the Immaculate Conception, the monastery that bears the name of the order. The church was dedicated in 1617 and had a roof of wood, until in 1732 the vaults were built and the dome. With the Reformation, the convent was converted into homes in 1996 and is occupied by a hotel.
There are three courtyards, the first surrounded on all four sides with Tuscan-style arches, one double. It can be seen carved in the quarry and the remains of the old exterior paint. The second shows the exquisite colonial architecture, with double arches and a former chapel of prayer, with niches in its interior. The third highlights a pit covered with grating blacksmith, and an original hand sink made in stone. At its top, a stairway leads to the terrace.
The one-body church with a square apse and transept, has a cover made with a barrel vault with lunettes and its dome rests on pendentives. High and low choirs are still preserved in its original form, as well as the sacristy and confessional. In his distinguished by its exterior buttresses mixed profile, with two portals of the seventeenth century baroque.
Convent of Santa Ines
Location: corner of 3 Sur St and 11 Poniente St.
Founded in the year 1620, the convent housed the nuns of the second order of Santo Domingo. Like the temple, its architecture, dating from 1663, is of Colonial-style austerity, distributed as usual, access side which leaves space for the high and low vocals. The cover shows a picture of talavera is the patron saint.
Access has half-point arc, on which is a niche with a sculpture of Santa Ines and it finishes off a window to the front page. There are canvas paintings by Antonio Reyes.
Convent of Santa Monica
The building dates from 1609, was built for the collection of missing women, forced to remain in custody. Subsequently, the prison was changed and in this building it was founded in 1862 a school for poor girls and widows.
In 1868 it was founded the Augustinian Recoletas of Santa Monica nunnery, which managed to survive despite the exclaustration caused by Reforma laws, when in 1933 the government forced the nuns to leave permanently.
The building style is baroque, combining brick tiles of Mudejar inspired. One of the attractions of the present convent is a beautiful kitchen, fully decorated with tiles. Two laborers similarly decorated. Then we reach the room deep, as well as a passageway leading to the cloister and church practice, which dates from the late seventeenth century. The library is installed at the side of the cloister.
The area has access to cells by a staircase from the courtyard of novices, and in the upper cloister of professed. From there, it is reached the chapter hall and the chocolate room, a place of recreation for the nuns after the recitation of the Divine Office.
In the church, the interior has three domes in the niche, located in the front wall for access to the choir, it is placed the heart of Bishop Santa Cruz, founder and patron of the convent. Hence the communication with the high choir is through a staircase, and then descends to the crypt.
The façade was seen in the top five emblems of the Augustinian order of a heart arrow, a mitra, a book, a crosier and a temple with two towers.
In the temple, the interior has is the image of Lord of the Marvels.
Convent of Santa Catalina
Location: Calle 3 Norte No. 201
Down Town, Puebla.
It is the first convent of Dominican nuns in New Spain, established in 1556, and is considered the oldest in the city. The pattern is St. Catherine of Siena, and was founded under the patronage of Maria de la Cruz Montenegro.
Its church was built in three stages: Extension to the mid-seventeenth century, vault ceiling in the early eighteenth century and completed in the year 1750.
The temple of a single body, has a facade with two covers very austere. Its bell tower of one body, is lined with red brick and talavera tile, which also looks at the top. The interior of colonial baroque, altar displays a Neoclassical apparently replaced the original that should combine this with the Baroque style.
During the War of Reform, property of the convent were disaggregated and only some collections were brought together again by the nuns, now preserved as a cultural heritage.
Temple of the Society of Jesus
Location: 4 Sur No. 102, corner of Ave Juan de Palafox de Mendoza, down Town.
Towards the end of the sixteenth century, the Jesuits arrived in Puebla and founded five colleges for the teaching of indigenous and Spanish. Originally, the temple of the Company of Jesus, belonged to the Carolino old school, which now belongs to the Autonomous University of Puebla. It is one of only two Jesuit churches in Mexico built in the eighteenth century.
It is a beautiful Baroque church, whose facade is composed of two parts, the first with a portico with three openings to the front, corresponding to the interior bodies. The central span shows a lateral half-point arc.
The interior consists of a basilica floor, and the nave is covered by a canopy of lunettes. On the altar there is a sculpture of the Sacred Heart of Jesus, the altarpiece is made of marble and in the back are the twelve apostles developed in gray quarry.
Colonial Churches in Puebla
A city map is represented in a model located in front of the City Hall; The Colonial buildings are in it.
