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The Altar of the Kings was also the work of Jerónimo Balbás , in Mexican Baroque or Churrigueresque style . It was begun in 1718 by Balbás in cedar , and was gilded and finished by Francico Martínez , debuting in 1737 . It is located at the back of the Cathedral , beyond the Altar of Forgiveness and the choir . This a... |
It takes its name from the statues of saintly royalty which form part of its decoration , and is the oldest work in churrigueresque style in Mexico , taking 19 years to complete . At the bottom , from left to right , are six female royal saints : Saint Margaret of Scotland , Helena of Constantinople , Elisabeth of Hun... |
This altar has been under restoration since 2003 .
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= = = Sacristy = = =
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The Herrera door opens into the sacristy , the oldest part of the cathedral . It is a mixture of Renaissance and Gothic styles .
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The walls hold large canvases painted by Cristóbal de Villalpando , such as The Apotheosis of Saint Michael , The Triumph of the Eucharist , The Church Militant and the Church Triumphant , and The Virgin of the Apocalypse . The Virgin of the Apocalypse depicts the vision of John of Patmos . Two other canvases , Enteri... |
On the north wall , there is a niche that holds a statue of the crucifix with a Christ image sculpted in ivory . Behind this , is another mural that depicts the Juan Diego 's of Our Lady of Guadalupe . The Sacristy used to house Juan Diego 's cloak , upon which the Virgin 's image purportedly appears , but after massi... |
A cabinet on the west wall of the Sacristy , under the Virgin of the Apocalypse painting , once held golden chalices and cups trimmed with precious stones , as well as other utensils .
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In 1957 , The wooden floor and platform around the perimeter of the Sacristy were replaced with stone .
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= = = Chapels = = =
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The cathedral 's sixteen chapels were each assigned to a religious guild , and each is dedicated to a saint . Each of the two side naves contain seven chapels . The other two were created later on the eastern and western sides of the cathedral . These last two are not open to the public . The fourteen chapels in the e... |
= = = = Chapel of Our Lady of the Agonies of Granada = = = =
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The Chapel of Our Lady of the Agonies of Granada ( Spanish : Capilla de Nuestra Señora de las Angustias de Granada ) was built in the first half of the 17th century , and originally served as the sacristy . It is a medieval @-@ style chapel with a ribbed vault and two relatively simple altarpieces . The narrow altarpi... |
= = = = Chapel of Saint Isidore = = = =
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The Chapel of Saint Isidore ( Spanish : Capilla de San Isidro ) was originally built as an annex between 1624 and 1627 , and was once used as the baptistery . Its vault contains plaster casts representing Faith , Hope , Charity , and Justice , considered to be basic values in the Catholic religion . After the Tabernac... |
= = = = Chapel of the Immaculate Conception = = = =
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The Chapel of the Immaculate Conception ( Spanish : Capilla de la Inmaculada Concepción ) was built between 1642 and 1648 . It has a churrigueresque altarpiece which , due to the lack of columns , most likely dates from the 18th century . The altar is framed with molding — instead of columns — and a painting of the Im... |
= = = = Chapel of Our Lady of Guadalupe = = = =
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The Chapel of Our Lady of Guadalupe ( Spanish : Capilla de Nuestra Señora de Guadalupe ) was built in 1660 . It was the first baptistery of the cathedral and for a long time was the site for the Brotherhood of the Most Holy Sacrament , which had many powerful benefactors . It is decorated in a 19th century neo @-@ cla... |
= = = = Chapel of Our Lady of Antigua = = = =
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The Chapel of Our Lady of Antigua ( Spanish : Capilla de Nuestra Señora de La Antigua ) was sponsored and built between 1653 and 1660 by a brotherhood of musicians and organists , which promoted devotion to this Virgin . Its altarpiece contains a painting of the Virgin , a copy of one found in the Cathedral of Seville... |
= = = = = Chapel of Saint Peter = = = = =
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The Chapel of Saint Peter ( Spanish : Capilla de San Pedro ) was built between 1615 and 1620 , and contains three highly decorated Baroque altarpieces from the 17th century . The altar at the back is dedicated to Saint Peter , whose sculpture presides over the altar . It is surrounded by early 17th century paintings r... |
This chapel is home to the Niño Cautivo ( Captive Child ) a Child Jesus figure that was brought to Mexico from Spain . It was sculpted in the 16th century by Juan Martínez Montañez in Spain and purchased by the cathedral . However , on its way to Veracruz , pirates attacked the ship it was on and sacked it . To get th... |
= = = = Chapel of Christ and of the Reliquaries = = = =
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The Chapel of Christ and of the Reliquaries ( Spanish : Capilla del Santo Cristo y de las Reliquias ) was built in 1615 and designed with ultra @-@ Baroque details which are often difficult to see in the poorly lit interior . It was originally known as the Christ of the Conquistadors . That name came from an image of ... |
= = = = Chapel of the Holy Angels and Archangels = = = =
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The Chapel of the Holy Angels and Archangels ( Spanish : Capilla de los Ángeles ) was finished in 1665 with Baroque altarpieces decorated with Solomonic columns . It is dedicated to the Archangel Michael , who is depicted as a medieval knight . It contains a large main altarpiece with two smaller altarpieces both deco... |
= = = = Chapel of Saints Cosme and Damian = = = =
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The Chapel of Saints Cosme and Damian ( Spanish : Capilla de San Cosme y San Damián ) was built because these two saints were commonly invoked during a time when New Spain suffered from the many diseases brought by the Conquistadors . The main altarpiece is Baroque , probably built in the 17th century . Oil paintings ... |
= = = = Chapel of Saint Joseph = = = =
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The Chapel of Saint Joseph ( Spanish : Capilla de San José ) , built between 1653 and 1660 , contains an image of Our Lord of Cacao , an image of Christ most likely from the 16th century . Its name was inspired from a time when many indigenous worshipers would give their alms in the form of cocoa beans . Churrigueresq... |
= = = = Chapel of Our Lady of Solitude = = = =
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The Chapel of Our Lady of Solitude ( Spanish : Capilla de Nuestra Señora de la Soledad ) was originally built in honor of the workers who built the cathedral . It contains three Baroque altarpieces . The main altarpiece is supported by caryatids and small angels as telamons , to uphold the base of the main body . It i... |
= = = = Chapel of Saint Eligius = = = =
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The Chapel of Saint Eligius ( Spanish : Capilla de San Eligio ) , also known as the Chapel of the Lord of Safe Expeditions ( Spanish : Capilla del Señor del Buen Despacho ) , was built by the first silversmith guild , who donated the images of the Conception and Saint Eligius to whom the chapel was formerly dedicated ... |
= = = = Chapel of Our Lady of Sorrows = = = =
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The Chapel of Our Lady of Sorrows ( Spanish : Capilla de Nuestra Señora de los Dolores ) , formerly known as the Chapel of the Lord 's Supper ( Spanish : Capilla de la Santa Cena ) , was built in 1615 . It was originally dedicated to the Last Supper since a painting of this event was once kept here . It was later remo... |
= = = = Chapel of Saint Philip of Jesus = = = =
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The Chapel of Saint Philip of Jesus ( Spanish : Capilla de San Felipe de Jesús ) was completed during one of the earliest stages of the construction of the cathedral . It is dedicated to Philip of Jesus , a friar and the only martyr from New Spain , who was crucified in Japan . The chapel is topped with a Gothic @-@ s... |
= = = Organs = = =
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The cathedral has had perhaps a dozen organs over the course of its history . The earliest is mentioned in a report written to the king of Spain in 1530 . Few details survive of the earliest organs . Builders names begin to appear at the end of the sixteenth century . The earliest disposition that survives is for the ... |
= = = Choir = = =
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The choir is where the priest and / or a choral group sings the psalms . It is located in the central nave between the main door and the high altar , and built in a semicircular fashion , much like Spanish cathedrals . It was built by Juan de Rojas between 1696 and 1697 . Its sides contain 59 reliefs of various saints... |
= = = Crypt = = =
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The Crypt of the Archbishops is located below the floor of the cathedral beneath the Altar of the Kings . The entrance to the crypt from the cathedral is guarded by a large wooden door behind which descends a winding yellow staircase . Just past the inner entrance is a Mexica @-@ style stone skull . It was incorporate... |
On its walls are dozens of bronze plaques that indicate the locations of the remains of most of Mexico City 's former archbishops , including Cardinal Ernesto Corripio y Ahumada . The floor is covered with small marble slabs covering niches containing the remains of other people .
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The cathedral contains other crypts and niches where other religious figures are buried , including in the chapels .
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= = Restoration = =
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The sinking ground and seismic activity of the area have had an effect on the cathedral 's construction and current appearance . Forty @-@ two years were required simply to lay its foundation when it was first built , because even then the Spaniards recognized the danger of constructing such a huge monument in soft so... |
= = = Fire of 1967 = = =
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On 17 January 1967 at 9 pm , a fire caused by an electrical short circuit caused extensive damage to the cathedral . On the Altar of Forgiveness , much of the structure and decoration were damaged including the loss of three paintings ; The Holy Face by Alonso López de Herrera , The Martyrdom of Saint Sebastian by Fra... |
The Altars of Forgiveness and of the Kings were subject to extensive cleaning and restorative work . To replace the lost portions on the Altar of Forgiveness , several paintings were added ; Escape from Egypt by Pereyns , The Divine Countenance and The Martyrdom of Saint Sebastian . The organs were dismantled with the... |
Some interesting discoveries were made as restoration work occurred during the 1970s and early 1980s . 51 paintings were found and rescued from behind the Altar of Forgiveness , including works by Juan and Nicolas Rodriguez Juarez , Miguel Cabrera and José de Ibarra . Inside one of the organs , a copy of the nominatio... |
= = = Late 20th @-@ century work = = =
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The cathedral , along with the rest of the city , has been sinking into the lakebed from the day it was built . However , the fact that the city is a megalopolis with over 18 million people drawing water from underground sources has caused water tables to drop , and the sinking to accelerate during the latter half of ... |
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