The Cathedral of Our Lady of Valvanera (also Maronite Cathedral of Our Lady of Valvanera sometimes spelled Balvanera, ) is located southeast of the main plaza, or
Zocalo, of
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 ...
on the corner of Correo Mayor and República de Uruguay in the
historic center. The church originally belonged to the Convent of Santo Niño Perdido which was founded in 1573.
This would then become a
Conceptionist convent in the 17th century,
when the church and convent were rebuilt in 1667. It also gained its current name at that time.
Due to the
Reform Laws in 1861, the nuns were required to vacate the convent portion and the cloister and other buildings associated with the church were demolished.
Its main altar was nearly destroyed during the political struggles of the 19th century but the oil of the Black Virgin of
Valvanera (or Balvanera) remains.
This church was declared a historic monument on August 30, 1932.
[ atálogo nacional de monumentos históricos inmuebles Centro Histórico (Perímetro A) Tomo III, D.F. México: Instituto Nacional de Antropología e Historia. 1992. p. 1400./ref>
Nowadays this church is the cathedral of the Maronite Catholic Eparchy of Our Lady of the Martyrs of Lebanon in Mexico.
The church is of ]Baroque
The Baroque ( , , ) is a Western Style (visual arts), style of Baroque architecture, architecture, Baroque music, music, Baroque dance, dance, Baroque painting, painting, Baroque sculpture, sculpture, poetry, and other arts that flourished from ...
style with its main entrance at the side of the church, as was common with convents in Mexico. The bell tower is covered in tile from Puebla
Puebla, officially the Free and Sovereign State of Puebla, is one of the 31 states that, along with Mexico City, comprise the Federal Entities of Mexico. It is divided into 217 municipalities and its capital is Puebla City. Part of east-centr ...
. Only this church and the church of La Encarnación have Puebla tile on the bell towers. The church facade is of tezontle divided by five buttress
A buttress is an architectural structure built against or projecting from a wall which serves to support or reinforce the wall. Buttresses are fairly common on more ancient (typically Gothic) buildings, as a means of providing support to act ...
es and topped by an entablature
An entablature (; nativization of Italian , from "in" and "table") is the superstructure of moldings and bands which lies horizontally above columns, resting on their capitals. Entablatures are major elements of classical architecture, and ...
with a frieze
In classical architecture, the frieze is the wide central section of an entablature and may be plain in the Ionic order, Ionic or Corinthian order, Corinthian orders, or decorated with bas-reliefs. Patera (architecture), Paterae are also ...
with anagrams of the names of Jesus and Mary. Both portals have two levels of decoration on them. Inside, the main altar is Neoclassical and made of stone. The oil of Nuestra Señora de Balvanera is from the 17th century. It and the sculptures here were donated by a Maronite church. The sacristy has paintings by Carlos Clemente Lopez that date from 1750.
See also
* List of colonial churches in Mexico City
References
External links
* http://www.gcatholic.org/churches/northamerica/4852.htm
{{coord, 19, 25, 45.87, N, 99, 7, 49.56, W, display=title
Middle Eastern diaspora in Mexico
Roman Catholic churches in Mexico City
Eastern Catholic cathedrals in Mexico
Historic center of Mexico City
Maronite cathedrals
Lebanese diaspora in Mexico
1573 establishments in New Spain
Roman Catholic churches completed in 1667
Spanish Colonial architecture in Mexico
Baroque church buildings in Mexico
17th-century Roman Catholic church buildings in Mexico