Guadalajara Cathedral
The Guadalajara Cathedral or
Cathedral of the Assumption of Our Lady is found in Guadalajara,
Mexico, and is the Roman Catholic cathedral of the archdiocese of
Guadalajara and a minor basilica constructed in the renaissance
style of architecture with neo-gothic towers. The original cathedral
was constructed in 1541, on the site of the current Templo de Santa
Maria de Gracia, which was made of adobe and had a thatched roof. In
1574, while the church was having mass, neighbors fired their
weapons into the air, which resulted in the church catching fire and
burning it with substantial damages. The new church was designed by
master architect Martin Casillas, but the work labored along because
there weren't sufficient funds to complete it. Finally, in 1618, it
was finished and the blessed sacrament was taken from the old church
and brought to the new one. In 1818, an earthquake rumbled through
the city and caused the towers and dome to collapse, but these were
rebuilt soon enough, enough so that in 1849, when another earthquake
arrived and destroyed them once more. Manuel Gomez Ibarra designed
the next new ones, which were completed in three years and cost
33,521 pesos. After being finished in 1854, Pope Pius XII elevated
the cathedral to a minor basilica, although the beautiful church did
and is still in imminent danger from the earthquakes that has
continued with some regularity since back then. Damage occurred in
the earthquake of 1932, 1957, 1979, 1985, 1995 and 2003; that caused
a slit to open on the north tower and some minor structural damage
to the dome; neither of which has been repaired or replaced. It
houses altars that have been dedicated to Our Lady of the
Assumption, Our Lady of Sorrows, the Virgin of Zapopan who is the
patron saint of the city, St. Thomas Aquinas, Our Lady of Guadalope,
St. Christopher, St. John of God, St. Nicolas and Saint Dominic,
with the main altar made of silver and marble. There are magnificent
examples of stained glass that came here from France. It also houses
the relics of St. Innocent and the remains of three cardinals, as
well as numerous former bishops; and the heart of a former
President.
Basilica de Zapopan
The
Basilica of Our Lady of Zapopan and the abbey of Our Lady of
Expectation of Zapopan are part of a Franciscan sanctuary that was
constructed in the middle of Zapopan, a suburb of Guadalajara,
Jalisco, Mexico. It is owned by the Franciscan province of Sts.
James and Francis that cover the states of Jalisco, Zacaetas,
Monterrey and Guanajuato. The abbey contains the Franciscan order of
friars minor, and used by the Third Order, the Franciscan sisters,
Capuchin, the Clarisse and the Society of Saint Francis; as well as
working with the Franciscan Youth of Roch and the Dominicans. It has
become the most popular sanctuary in Western Mexico and contains a
wooden Virgin that arrived here from Spain in the 16th century, and
is of a considerable valued artifact of medieval origin. The
Virgin of Zapopan is also called Our Lady of Expectation, or La
Generala or the Zapopanita, and in 1734 she was made the patroness
of lightning and storms, staying in Guadalajara from June 13 to
October 12 and after the nation became independent in 1821, she was
made the patroness of the state. In 1942, she was canonically
crowned in a ceremony that also included giving her the keys to the
city of Guadalajara. Every year, a pilgrimage is made from the
Guadalajara Cathedral to the Basilica of Zapopan and is the third
most important such journey in the nation and is about a mile's
distance. Every dawn on October 12, a procession of lay Catholics,
priests, pre-Columbian dancers, seminarians and mendicants carry a
statue of the Virgin Mary from the cathedral to the basilica, which
is accompanied by over 3 million people and includes a gala festival
with most of the people from both cities and ends with a mass in the
plaza that sits outside the basilica; as well as traditional dances
and night time fireworks.