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Cathedral of Our Lady of Guadalupe

Cathedral of Our Lady of Guadalupe, Zamora
Santuario deGuadalupe Mexico.jpg
Our Lady of Guadalupe Cathedral in June 2008
Basic information
Location Michoacán, Mexico
Geographic coordinates 19°59′01.13″N 102°16′50.95″W / 19.9836472°N 102.2808194°W / 19.9836472; -102.2808194
Affiliation Roman Catholic
Architectural type Church

The Cathedral of Our Lady of Guadalupe is a gothic revival Catholic cathedral located in Zamora, Michoacán, Mexico.

The cornerstone of the cathedral was laid on February 2, 1898, the feast of Candlemas, by the second bishop of Zamora, Don Jose Ma. Càzares y Martinez. The architectural plan is attributed to the Zamoran architect Jesús Hernández Segura. The diocese had been established in 1862 and needed a cathedral.

The construction started in 1898, with a crew of more than 300 men working on the site. It was designed in the neogothic, or gothic revival style with an unusual twist, a dome over the crossing. The cathedral would contain 5 extensive naves, 4 of which had been roofed over by the end of 1910; vast amounts of quarry stone were required in order to accelerate the work.

The Mexican Revolution brought problems to Zamora, and to the country as a whole. In 1914 the work of construction was suspended due to the revolution and later, the Cristero War, for an indefinite time.

During the intervening years, only half of the cathedral was complete, including 4 of the naves, and all the pillars were in place. Unfortunately, due to the continuing conflict, the original drafts were lost; all that remained were a drawing of the original facade and a general plan of construction. Also, much of the original quarry stone disappeared, and the cathedral was damaged when the army decided to use one of the stone walls as a place of execution; many died by firing squad for their faith. The evidence still exists in the form of hundreds of bullet holes etched in the wall; a silent memorial to those who died there.


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