Basilica of Our Lady of Guadalupe - Basilica de Guadalupe - Basilica de Nuestra Senora Guadalupe
Roman Catholic Church located in Vila de Guadalupe Hidalgo, in Mexico City
Roman Catholic Church located in Vila de Guadalupe Hidalgo, in Mexico City
The church was erected near the spot were the apparitions of the Virgin appeared to Juan Diego in December 1531. The second apparition resulted in a painted imagine that became known as the Virgin of Guadalupe. On December 26, 1531, two weeks after its appearance, the Sacred Image of the Virgin of Guadalupe was moved from the Bishop’s cathedral to the chapel on Tepeyac Hill. Thousands of faithful, Spaniards and Indians, took part in the procession. The chapel was enlarged and reconstructed numerous times. In 1622 a larger chapel was build. In 1677, a chapel, El Cerriito, was built on Teyepac Hill to commemorate the first three apparitions. In 1695, the Church of Indians was completed. It housed the Sacred Image while the church of 1622 was razed to make room for the first Basilica.
The First Basilica
The original Basilica of Our Lady dates from 1536 and still stands today. The first Basilica was completed in 1709. The Sacred Image was installed over the high alter. The Basilica is constructed of red volcanic rock and sandstone. It is 184 feet long by 122 feet wide. Six large oil paintings and other smaller works decorate the walls and depict the history of Guadalupe. The structure has weakened over the years and the congregation outgrew the Basilica. It has since been converted to a museum, which houses religious art, paintings and sculpture from the 15th to 18th century.
The New Basilica
The architect Pedro Ramirez Vasquez built Nueva Basilica between 1974 and 1976. The new Basilica was built in 70’s style. The new Basilica has a semicircular base. Nine small chapels are arranged around the balcony. The Basilica holds ten thousand people. The Sacred Image hangs above the main altar and is easily seen from any point in the Basilica. The Image hangs being bulletproof glass with three fames of gold, five inches wide, of silver, five inches wide and of bronze. Below the Image, “moving sidewalks” carry pilgrims and devotees past the image. On the left of the main alter is the Chapel of the Blessed Sacrament. To the right is Saint Joseph Chapel.
Interior of the New Basilica
In 1921 a bomb was placed below the Image but the tilma survived. The photograph shows the damage from the bomb on a brass crucifix, which is now bent and on display.
The Sacred Image above the main alter in the New Basilica. In 1999, the Shrine of Our Lady of Guadalupe became the
most-visited Catholic shrine in the world. The Image is the most popular in the Western Hemisphere.
