In New Spain, 16th century Dominican missionaries laid the cornerstone for Templo Santo Domingo, the Oaxaca church and its former convent. The ex-convent is now a lovely Oaxaca-related museum. The church, which has undergone numerous changes of use--including use as a stable, a hospital, and a prison--is once again being used as a place of worship.
Spanish Dominican missionaries arrived in New Spain in the third quarter of the 16th century. Their purpose, equal to the purposes of the Franciscans, the Jesuits, and other Old World religious orders, was the conversion of indigenous peoples in the New World to Roman Catholic Christianity. The Dominicans designed and the indigenous people built eighteen churches in the southern part of what is now Mexico. Santo Domingo is considered by many people to be the most beautiful--and it is certainly the largest and most ornate.
Chronology of the building and different uses of the Santo Domingo complex. Click on any picture for a larger view.
The church complex, including both the construction and the gardens, covers approximately 4,000 square meters (44,000 square feet)--the measure of four square city blocks. The original building was a chapel dedicated to Nuestra Señora del Rosario (Our Lady of the Rosary), which continues to be in daily use.
Behind the church, the grounds have been converted into a botanical garden filled with native plantings.
The escudo (shield) of the Dominican order of priests and brothers, carved into the ceiling of the church entryway and then painted.
In the museum, artifacts from various pre-Hispanic temples (including Monte Albán) and other Oaxacan archeological sites are on display. This is an actual human skull embedded with turquoise. The lower teeth are natural, but the upper teeth, eyes, and nose are made of shell.
The original construction at the Santo Domingo complex was the chapel of Nuestra Señora del Rosario (Our Lady of the Rosary), connected by an interior door to the main Santo Domingo church. According to Dominican tradition, the Virgin appeared to St. Dominic in answer to his prayers and charged him with spreading the use of the rosary.
The very simple, nearly stern facade of the church of Santo Domingo hides the gilded and ornate Mexican baroque interior. Much of the church--pillars, arches, and the ceiling--is highlighted with 60,000 sheets of 23.5 karat gold leaf. The church closed in 1866 and the convent was used as a military barracks. The church did not open again until 1938.
Santo Domingo ceiling medallion depicting the Blessed Virgin Mary holding the Baby Jesus, surrounded by various Dominican priests and a host of cherubim.
Detail of the near-life-size crucifix in Santo Domingo's Blessed Sacrament chapel.
After long years of secular use (including nearly 100 years as a jail), restoration of the church began in 1993. The restoration was finished in 1999 at a cost of twelve million pesos. The restored church was brought to a glory perhaps unimagined by the early Dominican friars.
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Disclaimer: Marca País-Imágen de México is a joint public and private sector initiative designed to helppromote Mexico as a global business partner and an unrivaled tourist destination. This program is designed to shine a light on the Mexico that its people experience every day. Disclosure: I am being compensated for my work in creating content for the Mexico Today program. All stories, opinions, and passions for all things Mexico that I write on Mexico Cooks! are completely my own.
¿y ustedes de que se van a disfrazar este día de muertos?
Samanta, perdón y con mucho respecto, pero en el Día de Muertos no se disfraza nadie. Puede ser que estés pensando en Halloween.
Posted by: Samanta Villamichel | October 27, 2011 at 01:33 PM
AWESOME! I am so tempted to go to Oaxaca now!! =)
Posted by: Tony A. | October 25, 2011 at 04:49 PM