MEXICO – México City – San Jacinto Church - The Cloister
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SAN JACINTO CHURCH AND MONASTERY IN SAN ANGEL – THE CLOISTER
Among the oldest churches in Mexico City, the San Jacinto Monastery was founded in the mid-16th century as a small hermitage, probably more like a chapel. It became an official church by 1580.
Before the conquest, these lands formed part of the indigenous territory Tenanitla. Later this interesting church was constructed here from 1564 to 1614 by the Dominican friars. The Dominicans added several installations intended to take advantage of the nearby waterfalls in San Ángel, including apparatuses to run their spinning and weaving equipment.
It has ample walkways and beautiful gardens to enjoy a moment of peace and tranquility.
The exterior and interior are classic examples of the Churriguresco style. Inside, it is worth seeing the altarpiece which houses numerous relics dedicated to the patron saint, magnificent displays of the artistic era, and outside in the garden, one of the first crosses that was carved in Mexico in which Christian and pagan elements were mixed.
The church, and its austere nave, is typical of ecclesiastical buildings of the era and contrasts with the vivid colors of the gardens and the atrium. Here, though, visitors will find one of the first atrial crosses carved in stone and mixing some Christian and pagan elements. It’s thought to reflect something of the cosmology of the craftsmen who created it.
The retablo, the altarpiece, is carved in an ornate churrigueresco style, and is perhaps one of the finer examples of the style to be found in the area.
The park behind the church contains both the Plaza de los Cielos, and the Plaza de los Arcángeles, both surrounded by the high walls of the former monastery complex and numerous examples of very exciting architecture from the 17th and 18th centuries.
The church was declared a historical monument on September 6, 1932.
SAN ANGEL
San Ángel is a colonia or neighborhood of Mexico City, located in the southwest in Álvaro Obregón borough.
Historically, it was a rural community, called Tenanitla in the pre-Hispanic period. Its current name is derived from the El Carmen monastery school called San Ángel Mártir. San Ángel remained a rural community, centered on the monastery until the 19th and 20th centuries, when the monastery was closed and when the area joined urban sprawl of Mexico City.
However, the area still contains many of its former historic buildings and El Carmen is one of the most visited museums in the city.
It is also home to an annual flower fair called the Feria de las Flores, held since 1856.
In 1934, San Ángel was declared as a Pueblo Típico Pintoresco (Picturesque Typical Town) and in 1987, due to presidential order, it was declared historical monument zone.
GEOGRAPHY
San Ángel is located in the southwest of the Federal District of Mexico along the southern end of Avenida Insurgentes, bordering the Ciudad Universitaria of UNAM .
For most of its history, the area was politically and physically separate from the urban sprawl of Mexico City, becoming part of it around the mid-20th century.
The community is surrounded by a volcanic rock bed called the Pedregal, which was formed by the eruption of nearby Xitle Volcano about two thousand years ago. Parts of this volcanic rock bed have been made into protected areas such as the Pedregal de San Ángel.
This area is estimated to have a total of 350 native veined plant species, 100 species of birds, forty species of mammals and twenty of reptiles. The representative plant of the area is called the palo loco (crazy stick) because it blooms in the winter rather than in the summer.
Among the oldest churches in Mexico City, the San Jacinto Monastery was founded in the mid-16th century as a small hermitage, probably more like a chapel. It became an official church by 1580.
Before the conquest, these lands formed part of the indigenous territory Tenanitla. Later this interesting church was constructed here from 1564 to 1614 by the Dominican friars. The Dominicans added several installations intended to take advantage of the nearby waterfalls in San Ángel, including apparatuses to run their spinning and weaving equipment.
It has ample walkways and beautiful gardens to enjoy a moment of peace and tranquility.
The exterior and interior are classic examples of the Churriguresco style. Inside, it is worth seeing the altarpiece which houses numerous relics dedicated to the patron saint, magnificent displays of the artistic era, and outside in the garden, one of the first crosses that was carved in Mexico in which Christian and pagan elements were mixed.
The church, and its austere nave, is typical of ecclesiastical buildings of the era and contrasts with the vivid colors of the gardens and the atrium. Here, though, visitors will find one of the first atrial crosses carved in stone and mixing some Christian and pagan elements. It’s thought to reflect something of the cosmology of the craftsmen who created it.
The retablo, the altarpiece, is carved in an ornate churrigueresco style, and is perhaps one of the finer examples of the style to be found in the area.
The park behind the church contains both the Plaza de los Cielos, and the Plaza de los Arcángeles, both surrounded by the high walls of the former monastery complex and numerous examples of very exciting architecture from the 17th and 18th centuries.
The church was declared a historical monument on September 6, 1932.
SAN ANGEL
San Ángel is a colonia or neighborhood of Mexico City, located in the southwest in Álvaro Obregón borough.
Historically, it was a rural community, called Tenanitla in the pre-Hispanic period. Its current name is derived from the El Carmen monastery school called San Ángel Mártir. San Ángel remained a rural community, centered on the monastery until the 19th and 20th centuries, when the monastery was closed and when the area joined urban sprawl of Mexico City.
However, the area still contains many of its former historic buildings and El Carmen is one of the most visited museums in the city.
It is also home to an annual flower fair called the Feria de las Flores, held since 1856.
In 1934, San Ángel was declared as a Pueblo Típico Pintoresco (Picturesque Typical Town) and in 1987, due to presidential order, it was declared historical monument zone.
GEOGRAPHY
San Ángel is located in the southwest of the Federal District of Mexico along the southern end of Avenida Insurgentes, bordering the Ciudad Universitaria of UNAM .
For most of its history, the area was politically and physically separate from the urban sprawl of Mexico City, becoming part of it around the mid-20th century.
The community is surrounded by a volcanic rock bed called the Pedregal, which was formed by the eruption of nearby Xitle Volcano about two thousand years ago. Parts of this volcanic rock bed have been made into protected areas such as the Pedregal de San Ángel.
This area is estimated to have a total of 350 native veined plant species, 100 species of birds, forty species of mammals and twenty of reptiles. The representative plant of the area is called the palo loco (crazy stick) because it blooms in the winter rather than in the summer.
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