The Porta Coeli Cathedral ( es, Catedral de Porta Coeli ) also called Church of the Gate of Heaven or Church of Porta Coeli is a

cathedral A cathedral is a church that contains the '' cathedra'' () of a bishop, thus serving as the central church of a diocese, conference, or episcopate. Churches with the function of "cathedral" are usually specific to those Christian denominatio ...

of the Melkite Greek Catholic Church in full communion with the

Pope The pope ( la, papa, from el, πάππας, translit=pappas, 'father'), also known as supreme pontiff ( or ), Roman pontiff () or sovereign pontiff, is the bishop of Rome (or historically the patriarch of Rome), head of the worldwide Cathol ...

Rome , established_title = Founded , established_date = 753 BC , founder = King Romulus (legendary) , image_map = Map of comune of Rome (metropolitan city of Capital Rome, region Lazio, Italy).svg , map_caption ...

. It is located in

Mexico 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 ...

, the capital of

Mexico 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 ...

. The cathedral is the main church of the Greek Melkite Catholic Eparchy of Our Lady of Paradise in Mexico City (''Eparchia Dominae Nostrae Paradisi in Civitate Mexicana Graecorum Melkitarum'') which was created in 1952 to meet the religious needs of the local Melkite Catholic community. In fact, it is the only church of the eparchy. The building was originally a Dominican church called Porta Coeli Church, founded in 1603. The building was completed in 1711, and is an example of Neoclassical architecture. It was originally the church of the Dominican College of Porta Coeli, that came to occupy the entire block between the present streets of Carranza, Pino Suárez, Uruguay and the alley of Tabaqueros, the latter separating it from the Concepcionist Convent of Valvanera. Although the college was lost, the church we see today is preserved. The church originally housed a miraculous Cristo Negro, known as ''El Señor del Veneno''. In 1935, it was moved to the

Mexico City Metropolitan Cathedral The Metropolitan Cathedral of the Assumption of the Most Blessed Virgin Mary into Heaven ( es, Catedral Metropolitana de la Asunción de la Bienaventurada Virgen María a los cielos) is the cathedral church of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Me ...

; the church retains an exact replica. The interior of the church was renovated with eight Byzantine murals painted between 1970-1979. The mosaics depict the Annunciation, the Nativity, the Descent from the Cross, Pentecost, the Dormition, the Holy Trinity, Our Lady of the Light, and Our Lady of Perpetual Help surrounded by angels and saints. The cathedral is under the pastoral responsibility of Bishop Joseph Khawam, who was appointed Apostolic Administrator ''sede vacante et ad nutum Santaec Sedis'' of the eparchy by

Pope Francis Pope Francis ( la, Franciscus; it, Francesco; es, link=, Francisco; born Jorge Mario Bergoglio, 17 December 1936) is the head of the Catholic Church. He has been the bishop of Rome and sovereign of the Vatican City State since 13 March 2013. ...

on 20 December, 2019. Porta Coeli is one of four Catholic cathedrals in the city, the others being the Metropolitan Cathedral of the Ascension (Roman or Latin rite), the

Iztapalapa Iztapalapa () is a borough (''demarcación territorial'') in Mexico City, located on the east side of the entity. The borough is named after and centered on the formerly independent municipality of Iztapalapa, which is officially called Iztapalapa ...

Cathedral (Roman or Latin rite), and the Cathedral of Our Lady of Valvanera (Maronite rite).

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Porta Cathedral, Church Arab Mexican Eastern Catholic cathedrals in Mexico Churches in Mexico City Melkite Greek Catholic cathedrals Dominican churches in Mexico 1603 establishments in New Spain Roman Catholic churches completed in 1711 Defunct universities and colleges in Mexico Syrian diaspora in North America 18th-century Roman Catholic church buildings in Mexico Neoclassical church buildings in Mexico

See also

References