Cathedral of Our Lady of the Assumption, Oaxaca

Catedral Metropolitana de Nuestra Señora de la Asunción
The front of the Cathedral at night.
Basic information
Location	Oaxaca de Juarez, Oaxaca, Mexico.
Geographic coordinates	17°02′03″N 96°26′00″W / 17.0342°N 96.4332°W / 17.0342; -96.4332Coordinates: 17°02′03″N 96°26′00″W / 17.0342°N 96.4332°W / 17.0342; -96.4332
Affiliation	Roman Catholic
Province	Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Antequera, Oaxaca
Year consecrated	1733
Status	Cathedral
Leadership	Archbishop José Luiz Chávez Botello
Website	http://arzobispadodeoaxaca.org/
Architectural description
Architectural type	Cathedral
Architectural style	Baroque
Groundbreaking	1573
Completed	1733
Specifications
Direction of façade	South
Materials	Cantera stone

The Cathedral of Our Lady of the Assumption (Spanish: Catedral Metropolitana de Nuestra Señora de la Asunción), located in the city of Oaxaca de Juarez, Oaxaca, Mexico, is the seat of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Antequera, Oaxaca. Its construction began in 1535 and it was consecrated on July 12, 1733. It is dedicated to Our Lady of the Assumption.

History

Construction began in 1535, during which the Temple of San Juan de Dios temporarily served as the cathedral church of the diocese. In 1640, the cathedra was installed and the seat of the diocese was transferred to Our Lady of the Assumption. Due to earthquakes in the 16th and 18th centuries, the cathedral had to be reconstructed several times, with the most recent reconstruction beginning in 1702 and finishing in 1733.^[1]

Structure

Its facade is made of green cantera stone commonly found in Oaxaca's buildings, and the interior is in Neoclassical style. The altar features a statue of Our Lady of the Assumption (Nuestra Señora de al Asunción) which was made in Italy during the Porfirio era,^[1] who is represented by a bronze sculpture brought from Europe and made by Tadoini.^[2]

The towers of the cathedral are not the originals, as they were destroyed in 1931 by an earthquake. In the south there is a clock donated to Oaxaca by King Fernando VII. The Lord of Lightning is in the last chapel on the left, while the second on the right contains the remains of the Cross of Huatulco. Atop the west wall of the quire is a locally built baroque pipe organ, parts of which date to 1711-1712, restored in 1997.^[3]

References

Wikisource has the text of a 1913 Catholic Encyclopedia article about The Archdiocese of Antequera, Oaxaca.

Footnotes

• Instituto Nacional de Geografía, Estadística e Informática (1993). INEGI, ed. Estado de Oaxaca. México. Guía turística. ISBN 968-892-304-4. 

External links

• Archdiocese of Antequera, Oaxaca page at catholichierarchy.org
• History and description of the cathedral (Spanish)

Spanish / Hispanic Colonial architecture
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Other buildings types	Hacienda Haciendas in the Valley of Ameca Cabildo Colonial universities in Hispanic America Colonial universities in the Philippines Plaza
Architecture types	Baroque Andean Baroque Churrigueresque Earthquake Mexican Colonial Chilotan Monterey Colonial Renaissance Rococo Neoclassical
Modern Revival Style	Spanish Colonial Revival architecture Mission Revival architecture
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