“Did you know that hidden within these walls lies a piece of Mexico City’s original cathedral?” That’s right. Welcome to the Parroquia de Jesús Sacramentado. It is a place where history whispers from every stone. This is not just a church. It is a living testament to faith, art, and the enduring spirit of Mexico.
Let’s step back in time to the early days of Mexico City. Hernán Cortés founded a hospital here around 1524. It was dedicated to the Purísima Concepción. This very spot was once called Huitzilac. Legend says it’s where Cortés met Moctezuma.
Construction of this church began around 1601. Alonso Pérez de Castañeda started it. By 1602, the towers and nave walls were partly done. But work stopped for decades.
In 1662, Antonio de Calderón Benavides decided to finish the church. Three years later, they received an image of Jesús Nazareno. Legend attributes this donation to Petronila Gerónima or Don Juan Manuel de Sotomayor.
The hospital used a small chapel called the Santa Escuela. It still stands to the west of the church. The vault was built in 1684. It replaced the original roof. Finally, the Parroquia de Jesús Sacramentado was dedicated in 1688.
Look up at the tower. Diego Martín and Manuel Joseph de Herrera completed it in 1704. Earthquakes damaged the vault in 1712. Pedro de Arrieta repaired it twice.
Inside the Parroquia de Jesús Sacramentado, you will see a blend of styles. The main altar was once Baroque. It was replaced with a Neoclassical one in 1792. That one was removed in 1939.
Now, turn your gaze to the side facing the Plaza de Jesús. José Besozzi, an Italian architect, built that Renaissance-inspired facade in the mid-19th century.
But there is more. The facade of Mexico’s first cathedral is incorporated into the Parroquia de Jesús Sacramentado. Hernán Cortés ordered its construction after the conquest. It stood in the atrium of today’s Metropolitan Cathedral. By 1585, it was falling apart. Claudio de Arciniega designed a new facade. Martín Casillas and Hernán García de Villaverde carved it. When they demolished the old cathedral in 1625, the facade was moved.
First, it went to the Iglesia de Santa Teresa la Antigua. Then in 1691, architect Juan Durán moved it here, stone by stone.
Pause for a moment to appreciate the mural by José Clemente Orozco. He worked on it from 1942 to 1944. It depicts the Apocalypse and the horrors of World War II. Sadly, Orozco never finished it. The 2017 earthquake in Puebla damaged it.
As you leave the Parroquia de Jesús Sacramentado, remember its layers of history. This church embodies Mexico City’s past. From Cortés to Orozco, it is a place where art, faith, and history intertwine.