The Templo de San Francisco nglish: Church(or Temple) of St Francis is one of the main Catholic churches in the city of Chihuahua, Chihuahua, Mexico. It is now recognized as one of the most valuable buildings in the city as one of the few still-existing colonial monuments in the city centre. It is located at 15 Calle Libertad. Even though it is named for St Francis of Assisi (because a previous name of the city of Chihuahua was ''San Francisco El Cuellar'' and because it was built and occupied first by the

Franciscans , image = FrancescoCoA PioM.svg , image_size = 200px , caption = A cross, Christ's arm and Saint Francis's arm, a universal symbol of the Franciscans , abbreviation = OFM , predecessor = , ...

), it is now maintained and supported by the Dominicans. Its architecture is typical of Franciscan missions, very simple and serene, and always painted in tones of white in accordance with the Franciscan policy of austerity.

History

This building was one of the first churches built in Chihuahua City. Construction began in 1717 on a plan that called for a

latin cross A Latin cross or ''crux immissa'' is a type of cross in which the vertical beam sticks above the crossbeam, with the three upper arms either equally long or with the vertical topmost arm shorter than the two horizontal arms, and always with a mu ...

with a dome over the crossing (the sanctuary is essentially unchanged since completion in 1789); it also served as the first junior school for ladies in Chihuahua. In 1811 the beheaded body of Fr Miguel Hidalgo y Costilla, considered the '

Father of the Nation The Father of the Nation is an honorific title given to a person considered the driving force behind the establishment of a country, state, or nation. (plural ), also seen as , was a Roman honorific meaning the "Father of the Fatherland", best ...

', was intombed in the West Chapel of the temple after his execution by the Spanish; after the independence of Mexico, it was taken to

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 ...

. A marker commemorates the original burial site. In 2004 the Church of San Francisco was first illuminated for the celebrations of the independence of Mexico, September 16, and remains an active Catholic parish.

Interior

File:San Francisco Nave.jpg, The Nave. File:San Francisco Altar.jpg, The High Altar. File:San Francisco Side Altar.jpg,

Churrigueresque Churrigueresque (; Spanish: ''Churrigueresco''), also but less commonly "Ultra Baroque", refers to a Spanish Baroque style of elaborate sculptural architectural ornament which emerged as a manner of stucco decoration in Spain in the late 17th ...

West Transept Altar. File:San Francisco Guadalupe.jpg, Chapel of

Our Lady of Guadalupe Our Lady of Guadalupe ( es, Nuestra Señora de Guadalupe), also known as the Virgin of Guadalupe ( es, Virgen de Guadalupe), is a Catholic title of Mary, mother of Jesus associated with a series of five Marian apparitions, which are believed t ...

. File:San Francisco West Chapel.jpg, West Chapel Altarpiece.

References

{{coord, 28, 38, 28, N, 106, 04, 20, W, source:kolossus-eswiki, display=title 18th-century Roman Catholic church buildings in Mexico Chihuahua City Buildings and structures in Chihuahua (state) Landmarks in Chihuahua (state) National Monuments of Mexico Roman Catholic churches completed in 1789 1789 establishments in New Spain 18th-century architecture in Mexico Spanish Colonial architecture in Mexico Church buildings with domes Tourist attractions in Chihuahua (state)

History

Interior

See also

References