The Cathedral of Morelia is a religious site that is the seat of the Archdiocese of Morelia of the Catholic Church in Mexico. It is located as its name itself says in the city of Morelia, capital of the state of Michoacán, Mexico. The cathedral is located in the first square of the city, forming the trace of the Historic Center of Morelia.
The cathedral is one of the most emblematic and representative buildings of Morelia given its height, since it has two tall towers that can be seen throughout the city valley. Due to their height (66.8 meters), it's towers are ranked seventh among the tallest in Mexico, after the towers of the Guadalupe Sanctuary in Zamora de Hidalgo (107.5 m), the Villahermosa Cathedral (80 m), the Puebla Cathedral (73 m), the Basilica Cathedral of León, Guanajuato (70 m), the Sanctuary of Guadalupe, in San Luis Potosí (68 m) and the Metropolitan Cathedral of Mexico City (67 m). At the top of the towers two crosses rise, one of iron, which symbolizes the divine nature of Christ, and the other of stone, which represents the human nature of Jesus.
Morelia Cathedral is one of the ten largest viceregal cathedrals in the Ibero-American region. Its construction began on May 6, 1660, the date on which the first stone was laid by Bishop Fray Marcos Ramírez del Prado and the construction was in charge of the Italian architect Vicenzo Barrochio until his death in 1692. It was concluded in the year of 1744, 84 years after its beginning. With a baroque style and made of pink quarry stone that gives it a peculiar and characteristic color.
The cathedral is 100 meters long, 65 meters wide and covers an area of 6,500 square meters, it is one of the largest in America. In its interior, the Doric order predominates as the basis of the ornamentation and it has neoclassical altarpieces.
A curious fact is that it is the only Cathedral in Mexico that is not oriented towards East, but is oriented towards North. The orientation of the Romanesque temples responded to the ideological matrix that the first rays of light of the day should fall on their heads to symbolize the arrival and presence of Jesus Christ; "Ego ssum lux mundi" in Latin (John 8:12), "I am the light of the world." In this case, the canons were broken due to the topography of the place, which forced the construction of the Cathedral to be adapted to the layout of the city.
Its monumental organ, called "San Gregorio Magno", with more than 4,600 voices or flutes, of a clear churrigueresque baroque design, is the second largest in the country, surpassed only by the organ of the Cathedral of Zamora, Michoacán. The quality of its sound is such that it is one of the best in the entire continent. It was made in Germany at the beginning of the 20th century. This organ replaced the original of Spanish origin from the 18th century, of which only the wooden facades that currently decorate it are preserved.
The greatest jewel of the Cathedral of Morelia is the Manifestor, a work of gold and silver over three meters high that is located under the dome of the main altar. It is a baroque-style piece from the 18th century that is used to place the Blessed Sacrament when a solemn festival is celebrated.
Other treasures housed in the cathedral are its ivory Christ, four Chinese vases brought on the Nao de Manila at the time of New Spain, two paintings by Cabrera (in one the birth of Jesus is portrayed and in the other the dream of San José, in which the angel warned him to take his family to Egypt) and the staff of Don Vasco de Quiroga, the first bishop of Michoacán and great benefactor of the indigenous people of the state. These are not in public view. There are also multiple sculptures inside, standing out a Christ, known as the Lord of the Sacristy, dating from the 16th century. Of course, its pure silver baptismal font should be highlighted, where José María Morelos and Agustín de Iturbide were baptized. Inside, the relics of two saints, San Cristóbal and San Pío, are kept. Another of its treasures is the image of the Lord of the Sacristy, made with the pre-Hispanic technique of "corn cane paste", from the 16th century, as well as valuable paintings located in the sacristy and the chapter house.
Be sure to visit it on Saturday nights, as it seems to come to life with the lighting show, sound and fireworks organized by the town hall.
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Photography ©Daniel Hernandez
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