Illuminated Chapels

I was downtown on Wednesday, and as a modest nod to the fact that this is Holy Week, I entered the Metropolitan Cathedral of Mexico.

Of course, I have been inside the massive Cathedral many times, but I was happy to have ventured inside that day.  Along the two naves of the church there are chapels dedicated to various saints.  These chapels are not only closed off by grillwork, but they are usually unlit.  One is not able to really appreciate their dark interiors.  On this occasion, surely because it is Holy Week, most of the chapels were lit, and their gold-gilt Baroque splendor was on display.

The Chapel of St. Joseph

At one time the remains of some of the heroes of the Mexican War for Independence were buried here.  They were later interred in the Monument of Independence along the Paseo de la Reforma when it was constructed in the early 20th century.

The altarpiece is unusual in that it does not contain any paintings.  A statue of San José (St. Joseph) is in the central niche.

The Chapel of Our Lady of Solitude

This chapel was dedicated to the workers who built the Cathedral.

The Chapel of San Felipe de Jesús (St. Philip of Jesus)

This chapel is dedicated to the first Mexican saint.  Felipe was born in Mexico City in 1572.  As a young man he joined the Franciscan order and traveled to the Spanish colony of the Philippines. He was returning to Mexico for his ordination when his ship was driven by a storm to the coast of Japan.  There he and his colleagues were arrested, bound to crosses, and pierced with spears.

The statue of Philip in the center of the altar shows him pieced with spears.

At one side of the chapel are the remains of Agustín de Iturbide, an opportunistic general who led the Mexican insurgents in their final push toward independence from Spain.

After Mexico secured its independence, Iturbide was proclaimed Emperor Agustín I of Mexico.  His reign, however, was short-lived.  In less than a year he was deposed, and he went into exile.  He returned to Mexico in 1824, hoping to regain power.  But he was arrested and executed.  Eventually his remains were brought to the Cathedral.

Also in the chapel is the throne which Iturbide used during his brief rule.

Chapel of Christ and the Reliquaries

Constructed between 1610 and 1615, this is one of the oldest chapels in the Cathedral.  The Baroque altarpiece dates from 1698.  Behind each of the small paintings toward the bottom are chambers which house supposed relic of saints.

The Chapel of San Pedro (St. Peter)

This chapel was also built between 1610 and 1615.

The paintings depict scenes from the story of the apostle Peter.

The Chapel of the Immaculate Conception

The painting of St. Christopher above the statue of Mary was done in 1588 by Simon Pereyns, an important artist of colonial Mexico.

Chapel of Our Lady of Guadalupe

I doubt that there is a church in Mexico that does not have a chapel dedicated to their patron saint, the Virgin of Guadalupe.  This one was redecorated in the early 19th century, so instead of the ornate Baroque style, it is done in a relatively simple neo-classical style.