The Cathedral Basilica of Our Lady of Succour ( es, Catedral Basílica de Nuestra Señora del Socorro) or more commonly the Cathedral of Valencia, is a cathedral of the Roman Catholic Church in

Valencia Valencia ( va, València) is the capital of the Autonomous communities of Spain, autonomous community of Valencian Community, Valencia and the Municipalities of Spain, third-most populated municipality in Spain, with 791,413 inhabitants. It is ...

Venezuela Venezuela (; ), officially the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela ( es, link=no, República Bolivariana de Venezuela), is a country on the northern coast of South America, consisting of a continental landmass and many islands and islets in th ...

. It is a National Historic Landmark, situated in the center of the city opposite the

Plaza Bolivar Plaza Bolivar may refer to: * Plaza Bolívar, Bogotá, Colombia * Plaza Bolívar, Lima, Peru *Many public squares in Venezuela including: ** Plaza Bolívar (Caracas) ** Plaza Bolívar (Valencia) {{dab ...

Pope Pius X Pope Pius X ( it, Pio X; born Giuseppe Melchiorre Sarto; 2 June 1835 – 20 August 1914) was head of the Catholic Church from 4 August 1903 to his death in August 1914. Pius X is known for vigorously opposing modernist interpretations of C ...

granted a decree of coronation towards the image on 13 November 1910, a dolorous image of the

Blessed Virgin Mary Mary; arc, ܡܪܝܡ, translit=Mariam; ar, مريم, translit=Maryam; grc, Μαρία, translit=María; la, Maria; cop, Ⲙⲁⲣⲓⲁ, translit=Maria was a first-century Jews, Jewish woman of Nazareth, the wife of Saint Joseph, Jose ...

titled “The Virgin of Succour”.

Pope John XXIII Pope John XXIII ( la, Ioannes XXIII; it, Giovanni XXIII; born Angelo Giuseppe Roncalli, ; 25 November 18813 June 1963) was head of the Catholic Church and sovereign of the Vatican City State from 28 October 1958 until his death in June 19 ...

issued a decree ''Urbi Valentinæ'' which praised the piety of the peoples, celebrating its fiftieth anniversary of coronation and raised the shrine to the status of Minor Basilica on 10 February 1960.

History

The building was originally constructed as the local

parish church A parish church (or parochial church) in Christianity is the church which acts as the religious centre of a parish. In many parts of the world, especially in rural areas, the parish church may play a significant role in community activities, ...

.during the colonial period circa 1580, about 25 years after the city of Valencia was founded. Nuestra Señora del Socorro became a cathedral in 1921 upon the erection of the Diocese of the city of Valencia. It became the seat of the bishops of the diocese, beginning with Monsignor Granadillo. Monsignor Gregorio Adam led the diocese from 1947—1971. The cathedral is notable for its architecture and for its status as the final resting place of the image of the Virgin of Succour (Virgin of Help), a notable Marian image that was granted a Pontifical decree of

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 ...

on 13 November 1910.

Modifications and Restorations

The building was modified in 1710, 1818—1820, 1830, and again in 1942. The 19th century architectural modifications gave the building its present neoclassical style. The church once again underwent a thorough restoration from 2013—2016, carried out by the architect Sara de Atienzar and restorer Fernando de Tovar.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Our Lady of Help Cathedral, Church Roman Catholic cathedrals in Venezuela Buildings and structures in Valencia, Venezuela Roman Catholic churches completed in 1580 Basilica churches in Venezuela Spanish Colonial architecture in Venezuela 16th-century Roman Catholic church buildings in Venezuela

History

Modifications and Restorations

See also

References