Guanajuato Revisited Part 10 of 17: Capilla de San Gonzalo de Amarante, the oldest part of Templo de Merced de Mellado

The Capilla de San Gonzalo de Amarante is the oldest part of the Templo. San Gonzalo de Amarante (1187-1259) was a Portuguese Dominican friar and hermit known for his silence and solitude as well as the many miracles he performed during his lifetime. The dates of his life show that he was a contemporary of San Pedro Nolasco, the founder of the Mercedario Order. However, I could find no indication that they ever met or knew of each other.

The Bustos y Moya family built the original chapel in the late 17th century. That was at a time when most mine workers were free to search for better wages and working conditions at other mines, or even other cities. The construction of the chapel was done, in part, because the mine owners needed a stable labor pool. Providing easy access to religious facilities was one way to encourage the workers to stay in the immediate area.  

When, in 1752, the family invited the Mercedarios to establish a convent near their Mellado mine, they donated the site, along with the chapel and its associated structures. This chapel is the most decrepit part of the Templo and shows a lot of water damage on the ceiling and side walls. There is much talk about restoration and, hopefully, something will come of these proposals. Still, the damage did lend an air of antiquity to the place that I liked.

The tiles on the aisle to the altar have a floral Baroque style. Like the rest of the chapel, the tiles are also damaged, including some that are entirely missing. Even so, the aisle must have been particularly lovely when it was in its original condition.

The Mercedarios had 250 friars in Latin American at the start of the 17th century but, by 1750, this number had grown to 1,200. Their main focus was Central America, where they eventually established 29 convents. However, they didn't establish convents in Mexico until 1594 and it wasn't until 1616 that these became their own "province", independent of the one governing the Order's convents in Guatemala.

While raising ransom money remained the core activity of the Order,  the Mercedarios soon had a second focus: evangelization of the New World's indigenous people. The Order had its greatest successes in the more remote areas which were generally ignored by the other religious orders. I could find no evidence that the friars ransomed anyone captured by the indigenous people. Such captures definitely occurred, but loss of faith through pagan conversions posed little danger.

San Gonzalo de Amarante was sometimes called El Bailador. The term in Spanish means "The Dancer". During the Middle Ages, a tradition began of dancing in front of his image to alleviate illness or promote fertility in women. The harp and violin on the altar next to San Gonzalo are references to his nickname. In 1816, the Inquisition prohibited the dancing but, in Mexico, the practice continued in Guanajuato and Guadalajara until the late 19th century. 

A statue of the Virgin Mary stands above and behind San Gonzalo. She is holds up a rosary, which relates to a Dominican legend dating back to 1206. In that year, a Dominican friar named Dominic de Guzmán was attempting to woo the Albigensian heretics back to Catholicism. According to the story, the Virgin appeared to him and gave him a rosary to use as a tool in his efforts. Ever after, this version of Mary has been called Nuestra Señora de la Rosary (Our Lady of the Rosary).

A statue of a male saint stands in a niche to the left of the Virgin Mary. Although the statue carries no identification, when images of a man and a woman are placed on either side of Mary, they are usually meant to represent her parents, San Joachim and Santa Ana. Mary's parents are not mentioned anywhere in the Bible's New Testament and, like so many traditional Church stories, everything about them was invented centuries after Jesus' time. 

Santa Ana, Mary's mother, is portrayed with very short hair. I found that somewhat odd for a period in which long hair on women was the norm. In addition, her hair appears to be blonde, although it may be that the statue's sculptor intended it to be the white hair of an older woman.

A painting of San Agustin hangs on one of the chapel walls. When the Pedro Nolasco and his Mercedarios got permission to found their own Order, they needed a set of rules to follow. Pope Gregory IX decided they should use the ones created by San Agustin for his Augustinian Order, when he established it in 397 AD. These are the oldest rules for monastic life in the Western Church and are quite simple compared to other religious orders.

The rules of San Agustin "value community life over seeking for oneself. All members are to share what they have and are to receive according to their need. All work is to be accomplished for the common good of all. All members are to exercise mutual care and vigilance over one another and the sick are a special obligation in the community. Anyone who offends another must ask for pardon and receive forgiveness as soon as possible. Prayer at fixed times is essential."

This corner of the chapel shows considerable water damage. The painting, which has also been damaged, is of the Virgin Mary and her husband San José fleeing Bethlehem after being warned of King Herod's plan to kill all the first-born children. Mary holds Jesus while seated on a donkey led by an angel. San José stands on the right side of the painting. 

Another painting is slightly less damaged. The scene in the painting appears to reference San Gonzalo's enthusiasm for love and marriage. In the scene, a man and woman face each other while kneeling and holding hands. Standing over them, and appearing to bless them, is a man wearing a ceremonial hat and robe. This painting may represent a marriage being performed by San Gonzalo himself. 

This completes Part 10 of my Guanajuato Revisited series. I hope you have enjoyed it and, if so, you will leave any thoughts or questions in the Comments section below or email me directly. If you leave a question, please remember to include your email address so that I may respond to you in a timely fashion.

Hasta luego, Jim