Basilica of the Black Christ -- Santuario de Esquipulas Sanctuary, Guatemala

            The Basilica of Esquipulas (Spanish - Basílica de Esquipulas or Cathedral Basilica of the Black Christ of Esquipulas or Catedral Basílica del Cristo Negro de Esquipulas) is a Baroque church in the city of Esquipulas, Guatemala, named after the image of the Black Christ of Esquipulas which it houses. It is the largest Roman Catholic church in Central America and southern Mexico and the only one in America with four bell-towers. It has the status of cathedral, minor basilica and Catholic sanctuary.   The statue of the Black Christ (El Cristo Negro) was commissioned by Spanish conquistadors and carved in 1594 by Quirio Cataño in Antigua and installed in the church in 1595. The history of the Basilica begins in 1735, when a priest named Father Pedro Pardo de Figueroa experienced a miraculous cure after praying before the statue. When he became Archbishop of Guatemala, he commissioned a basilica to shelter the statue. The church was completed in 1759. It is visited by about 4.5 million pilgrims annually, including 1.5 million in the days leading up to its patronal festival on 15 January and the festival on 9 March which marks the date of the image's arrival in the city in 1595. On a visit in 1840, the anthropologist John Lloyd Stephens described the church as the town's "only object of interest".
The church was promoted to cathedral status by pope Pius XII in 1956 as the seat of the new Territorial Prelature of Santo Cristo de Esquípulas, whose first prelate Mariano Rossell y Arellano (the senior archbishop of Guatemala) sought to set up a Benedictine monastery attached to the cathedral to care for it - this was founded in 1959 by three monks sent from San José Abbey in Louisiana. He also successfully petitioned pope John XXIII to promote the church to minor basilica status in 1961. It was visited on 6 February 1996 by Pope John Paul II during his second Apostolic Visit to Guatemala to mark the four-hundredth anniversary of the veneration of the Black Christ.

La Basílica de Esquipulas o Basílica del Santo Cristo Crucificado de Esquipulas es un templo de estilo barroco ubicado en la ciudad de Esquipulas, Guatemala, y que alberga a la venerada imagen del Señor de Esquipulas. Es el templo católico más grande de Centro América y el Sur de México; y el único en América con 4 torres de campanario; lo que lo convierten en un templo extraordinario. Tiene estatus de Catedral, Basílica menor y santuario católico.
Es considerado el principal recinto católico de Centroamérica y uno de los más visitados en el mundo, anualmente unos cuatro millones y medio de peregrinos visitan el santuario, de los cuales cerca de 1 millón 500 mil lo hacen en los días cercanos al 15 de enero día en que se festeja al Señor de Esquipulas y otros lo hacen el día 9 de marzo día que se festeja la llegada de la imagen a la ciudad de Esquipulas, hecho sucedido el jueves 9 de marzo de 1595.

A Basílica de Esquipulas, é uma linda Igreja barroca que data do final do seculo XVI.  Ela é conhecida pela Imagem do Cristo Negro, que fez muitos milagres e tinha sido esculpida na cidade de Antigua, primeira capital guatemalteca.  Fica localizada no municipio de Esquipulas, nordeste da Guatemala quase divisa de Honduras e muito próximo a El Salvador.  Perto de suas festas patronais recebem mais de 1.5 milhões de pessoas e é considerado o maior Centro de Peregrinação da América Central incluindo até o sul do México.  É muito linda mesmo.
   

Taken on: February 8, 2009

Tags:

esquipulas

cristo negro

santuario

basilica

iglesia

igreja

Basilica do Cristo Negro

Guatemala

Panasonic

Lumix FZ-28

nunes

snunes

spnunes

s.pereira-nunes « less

Sets appears in: • Guatemala 2

Groups appears in: • !FlickrSoup for Soul • Guatemala more » • *The Best 200 Views Group (freeminded)* • ANYTHING & EVERYTHING PHOTOGRAPHIC / NO SL/AI • Spanish colonial • Guatemala Photography • +arquitectura • *Best of Flickr* (Comment 1 / invite 2) PHOTOS ONLY • 10,000 pictures • Photography Un-limited • White White White • FlickrGuatemala • VISUAL PLEASURE • "Unlimited Photos: No Rules" • Renascimento latino-americano e barroco/Latin American Baroque a • **Simply Superb (P 1- A 2)** • Shots with a Lumix - photos and videos - no 30/60. • "Croque NATURE" • Fav dispenser - Beautiful for us! • " Your BEST of Today " - Through MY Eyes • *Flickr's BEST* - SERIOUS Photographers - Post 1/Comment 3 • Panasonic Lumix DMC-FZ28 and DMC-TZ5/TZ4 • Arquitectura de el mundo/architecture of the world • ARQUITECTURA FANTÁSTICA MUNDIAL • *ABSOLUTELY beautiful*post1-comment1 • Obiettivo & Fotocamera • [][][]All Welcome[][][] • White is Pure and Calming • *Happy Everything* (Post 3 & Award 2) • White, pure and simple • [][][]Not only Facebook[][][] • [][][]Beyond time[][][] • [][][]yokopakumayoko**International Photo Gallery**[][][] • Panasonic Lumix Lovers • [][][]The scent of photography[][][] • ***FOTOGRAFIA EMOCION ♥ EMOTIONAL PHOTOGRAPHY*** • [][][]La Mascotte **Gallery**[][][] • [][][]100%PERFECT[][][] • [][][]Super Group Photographic[][][] • [][][] Photos of the other world [][][] • ! * Real B u tee ♣ post 1 award 2 ♣JOIN US • [][][]A world of photography[][][] • !Excellent Photos • SARDEGNA chiama SICILIA e viceversa. • "Photographes amateurs & pros" • [][][] Flickr. DNA [][][] • Spanish Colonial Revival architecture • [][][] Modern Times [][][] • " 2 Thumbs Up " • [][][] MAESTRI della luce e del colore [][][] • * Everybodys Photo Group *(All Welcome) • *Latidos de Ciudad * City Beats * • "Fantastic Photos International" (post 1~comment 1) • !*ALL ARE WELCOME*! • World's Pictures • [][][] The best pictures [][][] • Colours of Flickr • .FLICKR WORLD. • Momentos para no olvidar • Fotografia única / Special photography « less

Camera: Panasonic DMC-FZ28, f/5.6, 1/400 sec, 21.6mm, ISO 100 (more info) (hide info)

Camera:	Panasonic DMC-FZ28
Aperture:	f/5.6
Exposure Time:	0.003 sec (1/400)
Focal Length:	21.6mm
ISO:	100
Exposure Bias:	+0.66 EV
Flash:	Off, Did not fire
Exposure Program:	Program AE
Exposure Mode:	Auto
Metering Mode:	Multi-segment
White Balance:	Auto
Color Space:	sRGB
Software:	Photos 3.0
Show full info

Stats: 4,289 views / 7 comments

go back

Link to this photo view:
Link to this photo large view: