Church of La Soledad, Mexico City

Pueeees

A great day

Older church in older, less affluent neighborhood. Nice, simple, worth a stop.

Outstanding for its square plan and its three naves divided by pilasters, the Iglesia de la Soledad or Temple of Santa Cruz de Nuestra Señora de la Soledad, as it was originally named, dates from the mid-16th century when an order of the Franciscans decided to build it as one of the chapels for indigenous and poor people. Over the years and thanks to the large influx of faithful, the Augustinians decided to rebuild the chapel and turn it into the largest and most important temple in the region, for this they received financial help from merchants, Hispanics and Creoles, who enthusiastically contributed with the realization of the work. It is worth mentioning that, concerned that the indigenous and other poor people would receive the religious service, they decided to build a large atrium for it, in fact this led to what, over time, was identified as the indigenous cathedral of the city. In this way and for around 200 years the building maintained its original appearance, at least until the 18th century, when it was subjected to modifications that included the expansion of its facilities, works that allowed the new church to be blessed on October 27, 1731. Around 1753 as a result of the intense efforts that the parish priest Gregorio Pérez Cancio carried out, this building was again subjected to a reconstruction, which could not be appreciated by the priest who died before seeing the work completed, a fact that happened at the beginning from the 19th century, when it was concluded with a neoclassical style with which we now know it. Finally, the temple of Santa Cruz de Nuestra Señora de la Soledad was declared a monument on February 9, 1931 and completely restored in 1982, a situation that restored its viceregal beauty.

The church is almost abandoned, it is dirty and it has many important cracks in its structure, it is scary to be inside it