Morelia Cathedral

1660

The first stone was laid in 1660, and the architect died before it was done

The first cathedral of the city, opened in 1580, was much smaller, and a fire severely affected it. On 6 May 1660 Bishop Friar Marcos Ramírez Del Prado laid the first stone of the new one. The Italian architect Vizencio Barroquio led the work until his death in 1692. His disciples finished it 52 years later, and the cathedral was completed in 1744.

Pink stone

It is built of pink stone and faces the avenue, not the square

The cathedral is Baroque and made of pink quarry stone, a material common in the region. Its twin towers, 66.8 meters high, are the seventh tallest in Mexico. Unlike most cathedrals in Mexican cities, the main façade faces the main avenue, Avenida Madero, and not the square. One tower is crowned with an iron cross, for the divine nature of Christ, and the other with a stone cross, for the human nature of Jesus.

1907

A German-made organ of 1907 with 4,600 flutes has its own December festival

The cathedral has a tubular organ, German-made and built in 1907, called San Gregorio Magno. It has 4,600 voices or flutes and replaced an 18th century Spanish organ, of which only the carved wooden facades remain. It was considered the largest organ in Latin America at the beginning of the 20th century. Each December the Morelia International Organ Festival takes place.

4,600voices or flutes in the cathedral organ

Corn paste

A 16th century Christ is made of corn cane paste, an old Mexican technique

Inside the cathedral is the image of the Lord of the Sacristy, a Christ of the 16th century made with the pre-Hispanic technique of corn cane paste. The source calls it very visited and loved by parishioners. Near the main altar stands a silver manifestor from the 18th century, 3.19 meters high, adorned with 29 statuettes and 42 gilded reliefs.

1805

Iturbide and Morelos were baptized at its font, and Iturbide married here

The silver baptismal font, in a Neoclassical style, is where Agustín de Iturbide and José María Morelos were baptized. On 27 February 1805 Iturbide married Ana María de Huarte in the cathedral. They became Emperors of Mexico in 1822. Pope Francis visited the cathedral on 16 February 2016.