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Architect:
The architect of the original structure is
not known
Style:
neoclassical (
exterior facade
), neo-gothic and
neocolonial (
interior
)
Date of construction:
1830
Physical address:
Concordia St., Las Delicias
Plaza
Construction materials:
reinforced concrete
and masonry
Renovations:
New towers from 1931-1937 by
Francisco L. Porrata Doria and other renovation work
done by Fernando Gardón
General information:
Declared a cathedral by papal decree in 1924 by
Pope Pius XI. It is built where there once was an old
church dating from the 17th century, closed in 1820
because of its deteriorated state and later
demolished to give way to a new construction. The
architect of this first temple is not known. It is
believed that it could have been built by the
Spaniards or by the parishioners. In 1839 the new
church is built in replacement of the one of century
XVII. In 1910 the construction of the Chapel of the
Blessed Sacrament takes place in the Southeast side
of the church, work architect Manuel Domenech. The
chapel is inaugurated on December 12 th, 1911,
coinciding with the Feast of the Virgin of Guadalupe.
The earthquake of 1918 caused great damage to the
structure; architect Francisco Luis Porrata Doria was
given the commission to redesign the new towers,
these were built between 1931 & 1937. When the
church was declared as cathedral, the first bishop to
be assigned to it was Monsignor Edwin V. Byrne. His
welcoming to town caused a commotion of such
magnitude that the lyrics of a popular “plena”,
(folkloric song) have immortalized the event.
Recibimiento de Obispo Monseñor Edwin Vincent Byrne
Comienzos de la década 1920
Foto preterremoto del 1918