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

cathedral A cathedral is a church (building), church that contains the of a bishop, thus serving as the central church of a diocese, Annual conferences within Methodism, conference, or episcopate. Churches with the function of "cathedral" are usually s ...

of the

Melkite Greek Catholic Church The Melkite Greek Catholic Church (, ''Kanīsat ar-Rūm al-Malakiyyīn al-Kāṯūlīk''; ; ), also known as the Melkite Byzantine Catholic Church, is an Eastern Catholic church in full communion with the Holy See as part of the worldwide Catho ...

in full communion with the

Pope The pope is the bishop of Rome and the Head of the Church#Catholic Church, visible head of the worldwide Catholic Church. He is also known as the supreme pontiff, Roman pontiff, or sovereign pontiff. From the 8th century until 1870, the po ...

Rome Rome (Italian language, Italian and , ) is the capital city and most populated (municipality) of Italy. It is also the administrative centre of the Lazio Regions of Italy, region and of the Metropolitan City of Rome. A special named with 2, ...

. It is located in

Mexico City Mexico City is the capital city, capital and List of cities in Mexico, largest city of Mexico, as well as the List of North American cities by population, most populous city in North America. It is one of the most important cultural and finan ...

, the capital of

Mexico Mexico, officially the United Mexican States, is a country in North America. It is the northernmost country in Latin America, and borders the United States to the north, and Guatemala and Belize to the southeast; while having maritime boundar ...

. 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 (), also commonly called the Mexico City Metropolitan Cathedral, is the cathedral church of the Catholic Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Mexico, Archdiocese o ...

; 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 Joseph Antoine Khawam, BA (born April 14, 1968 in Aleppo, Syria) is a Syrian Catholic prelate who has served as Apostolic Exarch of Venezuela in the Melkite Greek Catholic Church since 2019. He is a member of the Basilian Aleppian Order. He ...

, who was appointed Apostolic Administrator ''sede vacante et ad nutum Santaec Sedis'' of the eparchy by

Pope Francis Pope Francis (born Jorge Mario Bergoglio; 17 December 1936 – 21 April 2025) was head of the Catholic Church and sovereign of the Vatican City State from 13 March 2013 until Death and funeral of Pope Francis, his death in 2025. He was the fi ...

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 eastern side of the city. The borough is named after and centered on the formerly independent municipality of Iztapalapa (officially Iztapalapa de Cuitláhua ...

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

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Porta Cathedral, Church Middle Eastern diaspora in Mexico Eastern Catholic cathedrals in Mexico Churches in Mexico City Melkite Greek Catholic cathedrals

Cathedral A cathedral is a church (building), church that contains the of a bishop, thus serving as the central church of a diocese, Annual conferences within Methodism, conference, or episcopate. Churches with the function of "cathedral" are usually s ...

Dominican churches in Mexico 1603 establishments in New Spain Churches completed in 1711 Defunct universities and colleges in Mexico 18th-century churches in Mexico Neoclassical church buildings in Mexico

See also

References