The Church and former monastery of Santo Domingo de Guzmán - Oaxaca, Mexico - Baroque Architecture on Waymarking.com

The complex includes a substantial sanctuary and an extensive system of courtyards, cloisters and rooms that formerly constituted the monastery.

As its name implies, the church and monastery were founded by the Dominican Order. Begun in 1570, they were constructed over a period of 200 years, between the 16th and 18th centuries. The monastery was active from 1608 to 1857. In the period of the revolutionary wars, the buildings were turned over to military use, and from 1866 to 1902 they served as a barracks. The church was restored to religious use in 1938, but the monastery was made available to the Universidad Autónoma Benito Juárez de Oaxaca. In 1972 it became a regional museum, and in 1993 the decision was taken to undertake a full restoration. This was completed in 1999. It is an exceptional example of conservation architecture. The architect responsible was Juan Urquiaga.

The church has also been fully restored. Its highly decorated interior includes use of more than 60,000 sheets of 23.5-karat gold leaf. Inside the church, ornate plaster statues and colored stucco flowers set off the extravagantly gilded walls and ceiling, forming a spectacular combination of Gothic, Romanesque, Baroque and Moorish styles. On the south side of the church is the golden Capilla del Rosario, which features numerous paintings of saints and Madonnas in various sizes. Another highlight is the beautifully painted family tree of St. Dominic on the low ceiling just inside the entrance.

Sources: Wikipedia (visit link) and (visit link)

Style: Baroque Type of building (structure): Large religious building (church, monastery, synagogue...) Date of origin:: Completed in 1666 Architect(s): Toribio de Alcaraz, brother Hernando Cavarcos and Justo Alcantara Web site of the object (if exists): [Web Link] Address: Macedonio Alcala S/N, Centro, 68000 Oaxaca, Mexico

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Date Logged Log   09/22/2022 harrybal visited it