Guanajuato Revisited Part 12 of 17: Templo de la Compania de Jesus / Oratorio de Felipe Neri, a magnificent 18th century church built by the Jesuits

 

The facade of this old Jesuit church is somewhat deteriorated. Still, enough of the ornate Churrigueresque decorations remain to make it attractive. The church stands next to the Universidad de Guanajuato on the corner of Calle Pedro Lascuraine Retana and Calle del Sol and overlooks the Plazuela del Templo de la Compañia de Jesus. The Templo is the largest in Guanajuato and one of the largest built in Nueva España (Mexico) during the colonial period. 

It is actually known by two different names: Templo de la Compañia de Jesus and Oratorio de Felipe Neri. The reasons for this will be detailed later in this posting. In addition to discussing the architectural features I will outline the history of the church and its relationship with the Jesuit Order and the Busto y Moya family, one of the wealthiest in Guanajuato. 

The facade decorations

Above the main entrance is a panel containing three seated men. They are surrounded by seventeen winged cherub heads, a typical feature of the flamboyant Churrigueresque style. The men are probably important Jesuit figures, but I haven't been able to identify them. This panel is one of three located in ascending levels above the entrance.

Construction of the Templo was authorized by Spanish King Felipe V in 1744. It was designed by a priest named José de la Cruz. Oddly, although he was creating a Jesuit church, he was not a Jesuit himself but a member of the Betlemite Order. The first stone was laid in 1747 on July 31, San Ignacio Day (Ignacio Loyola was the founder of the Jesuit Order). The church was finally completed 18 years later, in 1765. Between then and the early 20th century, it has been remodeled numerous times.

Another figure stands in a niche above the one with three men. The male statue is also unidentified, but it may be Ignacio Loyola, particularly given the importance of the church and the central position of the niche on the facade. The wire mesh in front of the statue is intended to discourage pigeons and their droppings.

The highest panel on the facade may show King Felipe V. Again, I have no specific information on this, but it makes sense that the architects would save a place of honor for the monarch who authorized the construction.

The Naves 

The main nave. There are naves on either side, for a total of three. While the church was designed by Padre José de la Cruz, the construction was supervised by another famous architect, Felipe de Ureña. He is responsible for much of the spread of Baroque architecture throughout Mexico. This church is his most famous project and he labored on it for 18 years.

Many tall, thick columns separate the three naves. They are decorated up their center on each side by carvings in the lush, flowery Baroque style favored by Ureña. The church was built on land donated by the Busto y Mora family. They had also donated the land and original buildings of the Jesuit collegio next door, which later became the University of Guanajuato. 

Josefa Busto y Mora was a patron of the Jesuits and her family paid for most of the church's construction. Some sources credit some of the funding to the Sardaneta family, owners of the fabulous San Juan de Rayas silver mine. (See Guanajuato Revisted Part 11 and Part 8 for the story of Josefa and her family's involvement in the construction of many of Guanajuato's beautiful colonial structures).

The left side nave, looking toward the entrance. The church has nine altars, some of which are accessed off to the sides of the naves. Three of these are made of wood, and have been preserved with their original decorations.

A group of devout Catholics praying. We have found similar scenarios in many other Mexican churches we have visited even when there was no service being conducted by a  priest. When we visited, the covid pandemic was still widespread and many people wore masks.

A richly decorated confessional stands in the left side nave. This one has spots on either side for people confessing their sins to the priest who sits inside. This did not make much sense to me because a priest would probably not be listening to two confessions at once. 

A magnificent organ stands in the choir loft at the rear of the church. The organ dates to 1794. Unfortunately, the church's 29.5m high transept dome collapsed in 1808, due to structural changes ordered by the Mayor of Guanajuato. He wanted to provide more decoration to it but, when the pilasters supporting the dome were narrowed, they could not support the added weight. 

The instrument was not used from then until it was finally restored in 1890. The organ overlooks the right side nave. Behind it, you can see some large paintings of biblical scenes.

The altar area

The main altar stands at the far end of the main nave. The altar is devoted to one of the many versions of the Virgin Mary whose statue stands in the central niche. Although the construction of the great church was finally completed in 1765, the Jesuits were only to enjoy it for two years. In 1767, King Carlos III of Spain ordered the expulsion of Jesuits from his entire Empire.

The expulsion was part of Europe-wide move toward absolute monarchy which resulted in the Jesuit's expulsion from many kingdoms. The monarchs saw the Jesuits, who reported directly to the Pope and not to a king or queen, as a threat to their power. They also envied the great wealth the Jesuits had accumulated. After the expulsion, many monarchs profited greatly from the sale of the Jesuit holdings.

To the left of the niche is a crucified Jesus. This may be one of those created by craftsmen from paste made from corn stalks and shipped throughout Mexico to decorate its many churches. These corn paste statues are amazingly realistic, showing ever detail of the body. The craftsmen were highly skilled indigenous sculptors located in Michoacan.

Following the expulsion of the Jesuits, their great church stood empty for many years. There were already many churches in Guanajuato and the other Orders hesitated to assume the expense of maintaining it. It is also possible that there was a stigma attached to the church because of the expulsion.

Finally, in 1773, a priest of the Order of San Felipe Neri named D. Nicolas Peres de Arquitegui proposed making the church the Oratory of his Order. This is how the church gained its second name: Oratorio de San Felipe Neri. An oratory is a structure, other than a parish church, set aside for prayer and the celebration of mass.

It took another 3 years for King Charles III to approve the takeover by the new Order. In the meantime, Padre D. Nicolas Peres de Arquitegui had gone insane and died in 1785. More years passed before the changeover was complete and the Order could finally use their Oratorio. 

Painting of St. Matthias, carrying an axe. This seemed, at first, to be an odd object for a saint to be carrying around. It is an apparent reference to the method by which he was martyred. St. Matthias was reputed to have been a close associate of Jesus and was selected to be the Twelfth Apostle, replacing Judas.

Plazuela de la Compañia

A woman walks past a remarkable wolf and fish fountain. The sculpture stands just below the Templo de la Compania de Jesus / Oratorio de San Felipe Neri, at the corner of Calle del Sol and Calle Ayuntamiento. I have not been able to find out anything about its history or meaning or the name of the sculptor. It is nonetheless an eye-catching addition to the area.

Water drips from the muzzle of a wolf into a bowl. The face of this wolf reminds me of a similar sculpture from the pre-hispanic Toltec culture (700-1000 AD). I saw it years before in the National Museum of History and Anthropology in Mexico City. There is a long tradition, beginning right at the start of the Conquest, of indigenous craftsmen creating animal images from their own cultures to decorate post-Conquest buildings. 

Fantastic fish support the bottom of the sculpture. These are similar to the fish supporting the fountain at Plaza Baratillo, near the Jardin de la Union. The similarity suggests that the sculptor may be the same person, although I still don't have a name. Water from the bowl under the wolf's head drains down to shoot out of the mouths of the fish.

Cafe Tal

Cafe Tal stands across the street from the former Jesuit church. This little cafe is about as large as a walk-in closet and it was tended by a very cheerful and friendly young woman. She is probably a student at the nearby University, working this job to make ends meet. 

A romantic tragedy occurred nearby in the Plazuela de los Carcamanes. It was named for two brothers who loved the same woman. When one brother was informed by someone in the church of the relationship, he immediately went in search of his sibling and the lady in question. Finding them together, he became infuriated, killed them both, and then committed suicide over their corpses.

The Cafe Tal serves coffee that is not only tasty but well decorated. Carole and I had enjoyed our visit to this famous church and its pleasant little plaza. A nice rest in the shade with a good cup of coffee was just the right touch to end this stage of our visit to Guanajuato.

This completes Part 12 of my Guanajuato Revisited series. I hope you have enjoyed it. If so, please leave any thoughts or questions in the Comments section below or email me directly. If you leave a question, please include your email address so that I may respond promptly.

Hasta luego, Jim