San Francsico el Grande
San Francsico el Grande
San Francsico el Grande is a church in Antigua Guatemala, Guatemala and one of the most frequented sanctuaries by the local population because of the shrine of Peter of Saint Joseph Betancur (Santo Hermano Pedro).
When Franciscan missionaries arrived in Guatemala from Spain in 1530 they were
assigned 120 villages by the civil authorities.[1] They were the first to move
to the Panchoy Valley in 1541 where they built a church at the site of today's
School of Christ (Escuela de Cristo). This chapel was severely damaged in 1565
and during the next ten years donations were collected to build a new sanctuary
located two blocks away in 1579. Parts of this construction, maybe the only ones
in Antigua which date back to the 16th century, can be appreciated at one side
of today's sanctuary. San Francisco el Grande became a significant religious and
cultural center for the whole region. Theology, law, philosophy, physics and
mathematics were taught at San Buenaventury College, located in todays monastery
ruins. The college also favoured painters of the colonial era such as Cristóbal
de Villalpando, Thomas de Merbo and Abonzo de la Paz.
The chapel and cloister were expanded during the 17th century. In 1684 the
structure was reinforced and withstood the earthquake of 1691. The church itself
was built by Diego de Porres and inaugurated in 1702. The 1717 earthquake
damaged the structure severely. So did the earthquake of 1751. The site was
partly destroyed during the 1773 earthquake and has been reconstructed in parts
but areas of ruin still remain. The fountain of the main corridor was taken to
La Merced's atrium in 1944. The colonial image of the Virgin located behind the
main altar fell down during the 1976 earthquake.
Its facade, with twisted salomonic columns, is typical of the Spanish-American
baroque and is similar to that of San José Cathedral. It has sixteen vaulted
niches, each but the lowest two containing a saint or a friar . These include
the Virgin Mary, San Diego de Alcalá, San Antonio de Padua, San Juan Capistrano,
Santa Clara, Santiago, and Santa Isabel from Hungary. At the entrance of the
monastery there are some murals, in which there can be seen the images of some
Franciscans friars with a skeleton.
Its bell and clock towers from the 17th and 19th centuries remain in ruins.
The altarpieces inside the church were richly decorated with painting and
sculptures of famous contemporary artists.
The church marks the beginning of the Calle los Pasos (Steps Street) which holds
the Stations of the Cross and used to be walked solemnly.
Peter of Saint Joseph Betancur, who was beatified 1980 and canonized in 2002, is
enshrined at the site. His tomb is visited by thousands of pilgrims each year to
beg for favors and miracles.
Text from Wikipedia
shrine of Saint Joseph Betancur (Santo Hermano Pedro).
for the significance of the colors
volcano over Antigua
