Back to San Rafael

Some time ago I wrote about the "colonia" of San Rafael in Mexico City.  I wandered around the neighborhood one afternoon and found it an interesting area.  I told myself that I needed to return and do some more exploration.  I did that last Thursday after doing some investigation on Google Maps.

My first stop was the Church of Saint Cosme and Saint Damián on the northern edge of the neighborhood. 

The parish was founded in 1524, just three years after the Spanish conquest.  A hermitage and a hospital for natives were built here.  The hospital was abandoned due to lack of income, but in 1593 the Franciscan order took over and established a monastery.  In 1672 work on the present church was begun.

Currently the entrance is colorfully decorated because the Pope declared this a Holy Year for the church.

The decorations include representations of "ex-votos", the medals and small paintings which people have made in thanks for answered prayers.

"Thank you, Saints Cosme and Damián for taking away this headache which the devil provoked in me."

"Thank you, Virgen of Solitude because at last I have a home in which to live."

When I entered the church, I was immediately impressed with the main altarpiece, one of the most beautiful that I have ever seen in Mexico City.

It dates from the 18th century and is an example of Churrigueresque art, the ultra-baroque style that was popular in Mexico in that era.  The altarpiece originally was in the Church of San Joaquín de Tacuba and was moved to this church.  It was restored a few years ago.  First, it was cleaned.  Years of dust and grime were removed.  Then the statues of the saints were repaired.  Cracks were filled, missing fingers were replaced, and the statues were repainted.  Finally, 22 karat gold leaf was applied to the carvings.  The finished product is dazzling.

The church has been lovingly maintained, but next door is a building which stands abandoned and in decay.  The Cine Opera used to be one of Mexico City's largest and most beautiful movie theaters.

The art deco building was opened in 1949 during the Golden Age of the Mexican Cinema.  The theater declined in the 1970s and 1980s and was finally closed in 1998.

Peering through the gate at the doors of the theater

As a piece of historic architecture, the building is now government property belonging to the National Institute of Fine Arts.  There are plans to restore the building and create a cultural center, but work has not yet begun.

San Rafael was once known as the Broadway of Mexico City because of its many theaters and cinemas.  A few theaters still remain.  Just a few doors down the street from the Cine Opera, is the Manolo Fabregas Theater which still presents stage productions. 

Continuing down the street there are many homes which were built in the late 19th and early 20th centuries.  Some are in a sad state of abandonment while others have been beautifully restored.

A few blocks farther down the street is a brick building more than a century old that is called the "Privada Roja"

This was my final destination in San Rafael and where I was going to have dinner.