Basilicas in Northern Mexico
I blogged about the following basilica on January 27, 2020.
- Cathedral Basilica of Our Lady of Durango (Immaculate Conception)
Declared a minor basilica by Pope Pius XII in 1941.
The Cathedral Basilica serves as the Cathedral for the Diocese of Mazatlán. The church was built between 1856 and 1899. It has an octagonal dome and twin towers.
The first picture is from Pinterest and the others are from Wikipedia.
Cathedral Basilica of Our Lady of the Assumption, Aguascalientes, Aguascalientes
Declared a minor basilica by Pope Pius XII in 1949.
The Spanish Baroque and Neoclassical basilica was built between 1704 and 1738. The church has twin towers and a pink façade. An image of the Virgin Mary was brought from Spain.
The first picture is from Pinterest and the others are from Wikipedia.
Cathedral Basilica of Our Lady of the Assumption, Zacatecas, Zacatecas
Declared a minor basilica by Pope John XXIII in 1959.
The Cathedral Basilica is the cathedral for the Diocese of Zacatecas. It is an UNESCO World Heritage Site and its façade is considered an outstanding example of Baroque art. The church, the third on the site, was built between 1752 and 1841. The exterior is made from pink stone. The highly decorated Baroque façade has statues of angels and saints. The Neo-classical interior features a main altar made from Finnish birch and gilded in 24-carat gold. The 17-foot high altar is ten feet wide and contains 25 kilograms of gold. The altar has 11 images including the Virgin Mary and other saints.
The first picture is from Pinterest and the others are from Wikipedia.
Basilica of Our Lady of the Oak, Monterrey, Nuevo Leon
Declared a minor basilica by Pope Paul VI in 1973.
In 1592, a Franciscan placed an image of Our Lady of Guadalupe at the top of an oak tree to protect it from vandals. A few years later, a shepherd girl was tending her sheep near the tree and heard voices and saw lights coming from the tree seemingly of a miraculous nature. Our Lady made it known that she wanted a church built on the site and one was. The cornerstone of the current church was blessed by Pope Pius IX in 1854 and construction was completed a year and a half later. The church was renovated in 1910 using a neoclassical style.
All pictures are from the Basilica website.
Cathedral Basilica of Our Lady of the Rosary, Culiacan, Sinaloa
Declared a minor basilica by Pope Paul VI in 1974.
The Neoclassical Cathedral Basilica was built between 1842 and 1885 and serves as the Cathedral for the Diocese of Culiacan.
The top picture is from a local website and the other two are from Wikipedia.
Basilica of Our Lady of Guadalupe, Monterrey, Nuevo Leon
Declared a minor basilica by Pope John Paul II in 1983.
The modern basilica has 52 gold roses above the altar and is a major pilgrimage destination. It was completed in 1978 to replace an older church.
All pictures are from Wikipedia.
Basilica of the Immaculate Conception, Monterrey, Nuevo Leon
Declared a minor basilica by Pope John Paul II in 1989.
The Basilica was built in the early 1940’s in a modern style. The concrete church is in the shape of a paraboloid. The 140-foot tall tower is topped with a 21-foot baked clay image of the Virgin Mary.
Basilica of Our Lady of Refuge, Ciudad Victoria, Tamaulipas
Declared a minor basilica by Pope John Paul II in 1990.
The Neoclassical basilica dates to the late 19th Century. It previously served as the cathedral for the Diocese of Ciudad Victoria.
All pictures are from Flickr.
Basilica of Our Lady of Guadalupe, San Luis Potosi, San Luis Potosi
Declared a minor basilica by Pope John Paul II in 1991.
The basilica was built between 1772 and 1800 to replace a church built in 1656. It was designed by a Spanish architect using a combination of Spanish Baroque and Neoclassical styles. The image of Our Lady of Guadalupe dates to 1838. The French used the church as a barracks and warehouse from 1855 to 1871, but the church was restored. Two steeples rise 175 feet.
