Parish Church of Santa María de Guadalupe – Capuchins

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The Parish Church of Santa María de Guadalupe – Capuchins is a temple and former Capuchin convent. To the east of the Old Basilica and Temple of Atonement for Christ the King, it’s a remarkable structure. The parish is responsible for this temple, for the Basilica Baptistery, for the Chapel of Promises, and for the Pocito Chapel and for the Old Parish of the Indians Church.

This temple was built between 1792 and 1797. It was designed by the architect Ignacio Castera, who is well remembered for his work on the Colegio de la Enseñanza, among a number of other very prominent works of his time.

The temple was first used by the Capuchin mothers of Santa María de Guadalupe. A convent was founded but this was nationalized and closed in 1863. Throughout its history, the church has housed the image of the Virgin of Guadalupe whenever the sanctuary was closed. The parish notes that this happened a first time from July 10 to December 10, 1791, and again from February 23 to October 2, 1888.

The building has suffered considerable subsidence. Between 1976-1982, a major intervention attempted to mitigate the damage with control piles to support the foundation. There is still some danger of collapse. It was closed once before for the same reason in 1800.

The striking central altarpiece of the Church of Santa María de Guadalupe bears an image of the Sacred Family. The circular painting on canvas was done with acrylic paints in 1998.