Porta Coeli Cathedral, Mexico City
The Porta Coeli Cathedral [1] (Spanish: Catedral de Porta Coeli ) also called Church of the Gate of Heaven or Church of Porta Coeli Is the name that receives a religious building that belongs to the Catholic church follows the Greek Melkite rite (Bizantine) in full communion with the Pope in Rome and is located in Mexico City, the capital of Mexico. It is one of the five Christian cathedrals of the city being the others the Metropolitan Cathedral of the Ascension (Roman or Latin rite), the Iztapalapa Cathedral (Roman or Latin rite), the Cathedral of Our Lady of Valvanera (Maronite rite) and the Cathedral of San José de Gracia (Anglican rite).
Porta Coeli Cathedral | |
---|---|
Catedral de Porta Coeli | |
Location | Mexico City |
Country | Mexico |
Denomination | Melkite Greek Catholic Church |
History | |
Founded | 1603 |
Architecture | |
Style | Neoclassical |
Completed | 1711 |
It is currently the Mexico City Cathedral of the Melkite Greek Catholic Church.
The temple is the main church of the Greek Melkite Catholic Eparchy of Our Lady of Paradise in Mexico City (Eparchia Dominae Nostrae Paradisi in Civitate Mexicana Graecorum Melkitarum) which was created in 1952, and Pope Paul VI gave his approval, to meet the religious needs of the local Melkite Catholic community.[2]
The building was originally a Dominican Catholic church called Porta Coeli Church, founded in 1603. The building was completed in 1711,[2] and is an example of Neoclassical architecture.[3]
It was originally the church of the Dominican College of Porta Coeli, that came to occupy the entire block between the present streets of Carranza, Pino Suárez, Uruguay and the alley of Tabaqueros, the latter separating it from the Concepcionist Convent of Valvanera. Although the college was lost, the church we see today is preserved.
The church housed the beautiful colonial Cristo Negro christ, and from 1935 it was moved to the Mexico City Metropolitan Cathedral, the church retains an exact replica.[2]
The interior of the church was renovated with eight Byzantine murals painted between 1970-1979, after that was turned into the Melkite Greek Catholic Cathedral.[2]
It is under the pastoral responsibility of Nicholas James Samra who was appointed leader of the Catholics of Melkite Rite by Pope Francis in 2015.[4]
References
- Church of Porta Coeli
- CARLOS VILLA ROIZ (23 July 2019). "Catedral greco-melquita en México, joya que une Occidente con Oriente". desdelafe.mx.
- "Templo del Colegio de Porta Coeli". elcentrohistorico.com.mx (in Spanish).
- "Papa nombra nuevo líder de católicos greco-melquitas de México". Excélsior. 2015-01-16. Retrieved 2016-11-28.