The Holy Church Cathedral Metropolitan Basilica of Santiago de Guatemala also Metropolitan Cathedral, officially Catedral Primada Metropolitana de Santiago, is the main church of
Guatemala City
Guatemala City ( es, Ciudad de Guatemala), known locally as Guatemala or Guate, is the capital and largest city of Guatemala, and the most populous urban area in Central America. The city is located in the south-central part of the country, nest ...
and of the
Archdiocese of Guatemala (Archidioecesis Guatimalensis).
Official site of the Archdiocese
/ref> It is located at the Parque Central in the center of the city. Its massive structure incorporates baroque and classical elements and has withstood numerous earthquakes. Damage by the devastating earthquakes of 1917
Events
Below, the events of World War I have the "WWI" prefix.
January
* January 9 – WWI – Battle of Rafa: The last substantial Ottoman Army garrison on the Sinai Peninsula is captured by the Egyptian Expeditionary Force's ...
and 1976
Events January
* January 3 – The International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights enters into force.
* January 5 – The Pol Pot regime proclaims a new constitution for Democratic Kampuchea.
* January 11 – The 1976 Phila ...
has been repaired. The inside of the cathedral is relatively sparsely decorated but impresses by its size and its structural strength. The altars are ornate and decorative. In front of the cathedral stand a series of 12 pillars, solemnly remembering the names o
thousands of people
forcibly disappeared
An enforced disappearance (or forced disappearance) is the secret abduction or imprisonment of a person by a state or political organization, or by a third party with the authorization, support, or acquiescence of a state or political organiza ...
or murdered during th
counterinsurgency violence
of Guatemala's internal armed conflict, which began in 1960 and lasted until the fina
peace accord
was signed in 1996.
On 28 October 2003, Pope John Paul II
Pope John Paul II ( la, Ioannes Paulus II; it, Giovanni Paolo II; pl, Jan Paweł II; born Karol Józef Wojtyła ; 18 May 19202 April 2005) was the head of the Catholic Church and sovereign of the Vatican City State from 1978 until his ...
authorized the canonical coronation
A canonical coronation ( la, Coronatio Canonica) is a pious institutional act of the pope, duly expressed in a bull, in which the pope bestows the right to impose an ornamental crown, a diadem or an aureole to an image of Christ, Mary or Josep ...
of the Immaculate Conception enshrined within the cathedral which occurred on 5 December 2004. The papal bull was signed and executed by Cardinal Francis Arinze
Francis Arinze (born 1 November 1932) is a Nigerian cardinal of the Catholic Church. He was Prefect of the Congregation for Divine Worship and the Discipline of the Sacraments from 2002 to 2008 and before that led the Secretariat for Non-Christ ...
, prefect of the Sacred Congregation of Divine Worship and the Discipline of the Sacraments.
History
Move of Guatemala City to a new location
After the Santa Marta Earthquakes of 1773 that destroyed Santiago de los Caballeros de Guatemala
Santiago de los Caballeros de Guatemala ("St. James of the Knights of Guatemala") was the name given to the capital city of the Spanish colonial Captaincy General of Guatemala in Central America.
History
;Quauhtemallan — Guatemala
:The name was ...
, there was a large argument between Spanish and clerical authorities on whether to move the city to a new location . Against strong opposition of archbishop Pedro Cortés y Larraz
Pedro Cortés y Larraz ( Belchite, Zaragoza, 6 July 1712 - Zaragoza, 7 July 1787) was Archbishop of Guatemala between 1767 and 1779 and bishop of Tortosa between 1780 and 1786.
Biography
Early life
Graduated with a doctorate in Spain when he ...
, Captain General Martin de Mayorga decided to impose the move to its new location in the Ermita Valley; Cortés y Larraz was afraid that with the move the church had to begin from scratch and would lose part, if not all, of its power and influence. The cathedral moved to the new capital on 22 November 1779, but all the interior ornaments that had not been destroyed by the earthquake in the old building remained behind in what was now called Antigua Guatemala
Antigua Guatemala (), commonly known as Antigua or La Antigua, is a city in the central highlands of Guatemala. The city was the capital of the Captaincy General of Guatemala from 1543 through 1773, with much of its Baroque-influenced architec ...
; in 1783 they were taken away from the frail ruins and stored in the old Universidad de San Carlos Borromeo building and in the El Sagrario Parish warehouse, which was also open the public in a section of the old cathedral.
Initially, the cathedral was provisionally located in a small chapel, but this was damaged very quickly, forcing the authorities to move to the Santa Rosa Chapel in 1786, where it remained until it moved to its definitive location in 1815.
Temple construction
200px, Cathedral of James in Guatemala City in the 1850s. The large sticks coming out of the bell towers and the fountain were the first lightning rods ever used in Guatemala.
It did not take long for the authorities to replace rebel archbishop Cortés y Larraz, who left in favor of Cayetano Francos y Monroy, who arrived in late 1779 and took over the building projects of the religious settlements in the new city. Architect Marco Ibáñez; artist Antonio Bernasconi – who arrived from Spain in July 1777; and engineer Joaquín de Isasi were in charge of the blueprints for the new cathedral and after two years got them approved by Royal Decree of 6 November 1779, which arrived in Guatemala in February 1780. Francos y Monroy, gave his blessing to the new location and placed the first stone of the cathedral in 1782.
Work began officially on 13 August 1783 and lasted until 1815, when the sculpture of Our Lay of Perpetual Help was transported in procession from Santa Rosa and was placed in the main altar of its new chapel in the cathedral, where it has remained since then. Most of the main section of the church was completed by 1815, and the new organ was installed, along with numerous other sculptors that were moved in a lengthy procession. The church was officially opened with a Te Deum
The "Te Deum" (, ; from its incipit, , ) is a Latin Christian hymn traditionally ascribed to AD 387 authorship, but with antecedents that place it much earlier. It is central to the Ambrosian hymnal, which spread throughout the Latin Chur ...
.
In 1816, the gold from the old altars was removed and then used to create the new ones and in 1821 began construction of the two east side towers, which were the minor bell towers that faced the city cemetery which was east of the cathedral in those days. In 1826 east, south and west doors were installed, as well as the frames for the windows in the subterranean crypts.
On 23 July 1860, a new altar made of Carrara marble
Carrara marble, Luna marble to the Romans, is a type of white or blue-grey marble popular for use in sculpture and building decor. It has been quarried since Roman times in the mountains just outside the city of Carrara in the province of Massa ...
was put in place of the old wooden altar, which was moved to Santa Rosa chapel.
The towers were completed in 1867 and the bronze from the San José Fort cannons was used to build the main bell, which was blessed during the first Vatican Council in 1871, and which became known as "La Chepona" since then.
1917–1918 Guatemala earthquakes
In 1917 a series of tremors began on 17 November and destroyed several towns near . But on 25 and 29 December, and on 3 and 4 January 1918, there were strong earthquakes, which destroyed numerous public buildings and private homes in Guatemala City
Guatemala City ( es, Ciudad de Guatemala), known locally as Guatemala or Guate, is the capital and largest city of Guatemala, and the most populous urban area in Central America. The city is located in the south-central part of the country, nest ...
. Semi-official '' Diario de Centro América'', published updates twice a day for several days and then began criticizing the slow and inefficient government response.
1976 Guatemala earthquake
On 4 February 1976, at 03:01:43 AM (09:01:43 UTC), a magnitude 7.5 earthquake occurred close to Los Amates
Los Amates is a municipality in the Izabal department of Guatemala. The population is about 61,000. The mayor is currently Marco Tulio Ramirez Estrada. Los Amates is located on the Motagua River, from the ruins of the ancient Maya city of Quiri ...
, in Izabal Department
Izabal () is one of the 22 departments of Guatemala. Its coastal areas form part of the homeland of the Garifuna people.
Izabal is bordered to the north by Belize, to the north east by the Gulf of Honduras, and to the east by Honduras, and by th ...
, 160 km northeast of Guatemala City
Guatemala City ( es, Ciudad de Guatemala), known locally as Guatemala or Guate, is the capital and largest city of Guatemala, and the most populous urban area in Central America. The city is located in the south-central part of the country, nest ...
. It destroyed large portions of Guatemala. Thousands of homes and buildings collapsed, including the cathedral. The very large earthquake was also felt in Belize
Belize (; bzj, Bileez) is a Caribbean and Central American country on the northeastern coast of Central America. It is bordered by Mexico to the north, the Caribbean Sea to the east, and Guatemala to the west and south. It also shares a wate ...
, El Salvador
El Salvador (; , meaning " The Saviour"), officially the Republic of El Salvador ( es, República de El Salvador), is a country in Central America. It is bordered on the northeast by Honduras, on the northwest by Guatemala, and on the south b ...
, Honduras
Honduras, officially the Republic of Honduras, is a country in Central America. The republic of Honduras is bordered to the west by Guatemala, to the southwest by El Salvador, to the southeast by Nicaragua, to the south by the Pacific Oce ...
and México
Mexico (Spanish: México), officially the United Mexican States, is a country in the southern portion of North America. It is bordered to the north by the United States; to the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; to the southeast by Guatema ...
, where it was felt in México City
Mexico City ( es, link=no, Ciudad de México, ; abbr.: CDMX; Nahuatl: ''Altepetl Mexico'') is the capital city, capital and primate city, largest city of Mexico, and the List of North American cities by population, most populous city in North Amer ...
. Approximately twenty-three thousand people died, seventy-six thousand were wounded, and more than a million were displaced. There were also numerous aftershocks. However, contrary to the inept response of president Manuel Estrada Cabrera
Manuel José Estrada Cabrera (21 November 1857 – 24 September 1924) was the President of Guatemala from 1898 to 1920. A lawyer with no military background, he was a strong ruler (dictator) who modernised the country's industry and transportat ...
in 1917, president general Kjell Eugenio Laugerud Garcia organized an efficient recovery; as part of that plan, the cathedral was completely repaired within the next five years.
In film
Sections of the cathedral are shown in the Mexican-Guatemalan film '' Sólo de noche vienes'' which was produced by Panamerican Films and Guatemalan producer Manuel Zeceña Diéguez and directed by Sergio Véjar
Sergio Véjar (11 October 1928 – 15 February 2009) was a Mexican cinematographer, film director and screenwriter. His 1963 film ''Los signos del zodiaco'' was entered into the 3rd Moscow International Film Festival.
Selected filmography
* ' ...
. It starred Elsa Aguirre
Elsa Irma Aguirre Juárez (born 25 September 1930) is a Mexican actress.
Career
At the beginning of her career she was discovered when she was teenager, in a beauty contest held by a cinematographic production company called ''CLASA Films Mund ...
and Julio Alemán
Julio Méndez Alemán (November 29, 1933 – April 11, 2012) was a Mexican actor.Herbert Meneses
Herbert Meneses (July 17, 1939 – March 6, 2021) was a Guatemalan actor, writer, teacher, and director of film, television, and theater productions. He began his acting career at age 11. He was part of many radio play series.The government of Gu ...
and Regina Torné
Rosa Vierben del Pilar Marina Incháustegui Anaya (born 2 October 1945), known as Regina Torné, is a Mexican actress, singer and television presenter.
Telenovelas and series
*2014 - Siempre Tuya Acapulco - Soraya Patiño
*2011 - Cielo ...
. The plot is about a forbidden romance that takes place during Holy Week
Holy Week ( la, Hebdomada Sancta or , ; grc, Ἁγία καὶ Μεγάλη Ἑβδομάς, translit=Hagia kai Megale Hebdomas, lit=Holy and Great Week) is the most sacred week in the liturgical year in Christianity. In Eastern Churches, w ...
in a city in Central America
Central America ( es, América Central or ) is a subregion of the Americas. Its boundaries are defined as bordering the United States to the north, Colombia to the south, the Caribbean Sea to the east, and the Pacific Ocean to the west. ...
.[ In the 21st century ''Sólo de noche vienes'' is also an important film documentary of the ]Holy Week processions in Guatemala
Holy Week in Guatemala is celebrated with street expressions of faith, called processions, usually organized by a "hermandad". Each procession of Holy Week has processional floats and steps, which are often religious images of the Passion of Chris ...
of the 1960s.
See also
*
*
*
* Antigua Guatemala Cathedral
Parish of San José ( es, Catedral de San José), located in the city of Antigua Guatemala, is part of the Archdiocese of Santiago de Guatemala and is located in a section of the old Primate Cathedral of Antigua Guatemala, which was destroyed by ...
* List of places in Guatemala
This is a list of places in Guatemala.
List of most populous cities in Guatemala
Population data up to number 30 is based on the 2018 census.
Ancient cities and important ruins
* Cancuén
* Dos Pilas
* El Baul
* Iximche
* Kami ...
Notes and references
References
Bibliography
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External links
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Cathedral of Guatemala City
Buildings and structures in Guatemala City
G
Guatemala
Guatemala ( ; ), officially the Republic of Guatemala ( es, República de Guatemala, links=no), is a country in Central America. It is bordered to the north and west by Mexico; to the northeast by Belize and the Caribbean; to the east by H ...
19th century in Guatemala
Colonial Guatemala
Spanish Colonial architecture