inSPIREd Sunday

Sally and Beth host inSPIREd Sunday!

January 2016 - Guadalajara Mexico

Guadalajara is a Disney World for church lovers. Last Monday we visited not one but at least TEN 10 DIEZ X churches if not a couple more, my addled brain has lost count. John is a saint  trouper for humouring me.
I have enough contributions for a few weeks!!
To begin, I am showing you the one we considered our favourite, so far, Templo Expiatorio del Santísimo Sacramento.
The church is of neo-Gothic style and is considered the greatest work of its kind in Mexico. Its construction began on August 15, 1897 and ended 75 years later in 1972.

The idea of building a temple dedicated to the Blessed Sacrament in the city of Guadalajara began in the late 19th century, when a congregation of Catholics formed a committee to make this temple. So the archbishop of the city, Pedro Loza y Pardavé, together with the commission organized a competition among some architects and engineers to select the project of the temple.

The temple's doors are made of granadilla wood, carved by Jesús Gómez Velazco, and they are incrusted with bronze high reliefs made by master Benito Castañeda.

The three tympana on the church's facade are embellished with Italian mosaics created in the Vatican's Mosaic Factory. The central one represents the Paschal Lamb; the east, Saint Tarcisius; and the west, St. Pius X. They were designed by painter and expert on the Vatican Museums, Francisco Bencivenga, who also oversaw the placement of them.

The church clock, imported from Germany has four lighted dials, and was brought along with a carillon of 25 bells playing 25 pieces both religious and popular music, such as: Ave María, the Mexican National Anthem, Las Mañanitas, Guadalajara, Adiós Mariquita Linda, Las Golondrinas, México Lindo y Querido, and the March of Zacatecas. This chime can also be played from a keyboard in the choir. The cost of the clock was about 450 million pesos from 1972, (worth MXN$450,000 today), and was installed by German technicians.

There is an interesting detail on the campanile which consists of miniature statues of the 12 apostles which rotate in and out of the tower whenever a musical piece is played. It played on the hour when we were there.

And we haven't even stepped inside!

This statue blew me away! Pope John Paul II.