San Gabriel Convent

1529

Franciscans founded it in 1529 after destroying a temple of Quetzalcoatl

The church and friary were established in 1529 by the Franciscans, after destroying the temple to Quetzalcoatl, with evangelization as the initial purpose. The present complex was built in the 1540s, beginning with the Capilla Real in 1540. The main church was begun in 1549. It is dedicated to the Archangel Gabriel and is one of the largest Franciscan friaries in Mexico.

Forty nine

The Royal Chapel has forty nine domes and is built something like a mosque

The Capilla Real, also called the Capilla de Naturales, is the Indigenous Chapel. What makes it unique is that its construction is similar to a mosque, with forty nine cupolas supported by twelve columns and twenty four octagonal pilasters. The interior is divided into seven naves. It has no murals or gold leaf: the walls are plain, and three large paintings tell the story of the Virgin of Guadalupe.

The atrium

Small chapels in the corners of the atrium were for outdoor processions

The complex is surrounded by a wall with pointed merlons that separates it from the main plaza of the city. The atrium is very large. In three of its corners are small chapels called capillas posas, with pinnacle roofs and simple arches, used for outdoor processions. One of the two portals on the west wall was used for the indigenous population in the very early colonial period. The atrium cross was sculpted in 1668.

25,000

A Franciscan library of more than 25,000 volumes was added in 1986

The cloister still works as a friary of about ten Franciscan friars who run a large school, so it is not open to the public. In 1986 an annex became the Franciscan Library. The friars first opposed it, since the friary likely sits on the remains of the Quetzalcoatl Temple and they feared being forced out. In the end they co-sponsored it. It holds more than 25,000 volumes from the 16th to the 19th centuries.

25,000volumes from the 16th to the 19th century