- History
- characteristics
- Traditions associated with the cathedral
- The Divine Shepherdess of Barquisimeto
- References
The Barquisimeto Cathedral or Cathedral of Nuestra Señora del Carmen is a temple of Catholic origin and the main seat of historical-religious tradition located specifically in the Lara State.
The Cathedral of Nuestra Señora del Carmen is located in the central part of the city of Barquisimeto, on Avenida Venezuela, between streets 29 and 30. Its postal address is Barquisimeto 3001, Lara.
This emblematic modern art construction took 15 years to be completed by the prominent architect Jahn Bergkamp, who in 1968 was able to conclude one of the most important civil engineering projects not only in the country, but also in the entire Latin American region..
The cathedral is circumscribed to the Metropolitan Archdiocese of Barquisimeto. The archbishop of the area is Antonio José López Castillo, and its current priest is the priest Pablo González.
History
From colonial times, a need for the extension of Catholicism prevailed. That circumstance somehow encouraged the construction of cathedrals, churches and chapels for the dissemination of religion throughout Venezuelan territory.
Barquisimeto Cathedral was previously the Church of San Francisco de Asís. The construction of this sanctuary was carried out thanks to the permission granted by Governor Francisco Núñez Melena.
From 1636 to 1950, this representative temple was located in Lara Square, between 17th avenue and 22nd and 23rd streets.
However, due to the 1865 earthquake, which seriously damaged the chapel, and the Tocuyo earthquake in 1950, the rulers of the time began to reconsider possible proposals for the construction of a cathedral whose location would be less risky.
During the period of the development of the new cathedral, the Ministry of Public Works, in charge of accelerating each of the infrastructures in the region, at first decided to completely demolish the Church of San Francisco de Asís, however, the This measure was not complied with in its entirety and this temple was rebuilt little by little.
In view of the fact that the Ministry of Public Works was in charge of speeding up the construction process of the new cathedral, many of the functions previously held in the Church of San Francisco were temporarily delegated to the oldest temple in Barquisimeto: La Iglesia de la Immaculate Conception.
The design of the architect Jahn Bergkamp began to materialize in 1953: the Barquisimeto Cathedral would soon have a new headquarters.
Thanks to the company "Constructora Jahn CA" founded in 1964, the need to complete this architectural work was continued not only, but also provided vital support to meet engineering and quality standards.
The project for the construction of the new cathedral in Barquisimeto was completed in 1968. From that moment on, the functions that had previously been delegated to the Church of the Immaculate Conception were re-conferred.
characteristics
This imposing work of civil engineering was distinguished by many as one of the most impressive works of the 1960s in Latin America.
Its structure is distinguished by being in the shape of a hyperbolic paraboloid, being cataloged by many as "similar to a four-petal flower".
In the four wings of this infrastructure are the seats for visitors to the temple. A central tower is located at the junction of the wings and it is practically the space where the altar is located.
As a relevant aspect, it could be noted that this temple has an ideal architectural distribution, since it allows adequate ventilation of all its spaces.
The exterior of the Cathedral is predominantly white. The entry of light into the interior is a consequence of the almost total covering of glass in the form of pictures located in all the wings of the sanctuary.
The extension of this metropolitan archdiocese has: two squares that surround the cathedral, a small parish house, an amphitheater on the rear façade, an underground room for private masses and an important space for vehicular access to the north of it.
On the external façade of the cathedral you can also see the construction of detailed rectangular-shaped stained glass windows of virgins and commemorative saints, as well as the presence of technical varieties of sun protection such as the “Brise soleil”.
Traditions associated with the cathedral
Lara, since its foundation in 1881 has been considered one of the most important religious states in Venezuela.
The city of Barquisimeto has been associated since its foundation with religious ceremonies of an apostolic nature.
The Divine Shepherdess of Barquisimeto
The cathedral of Barquisimeto annually gathers hundreds of thousands of people on its most representative holiday on January 14 to celebrate the commemoration of the Divina Pastora, who is the current patron of the Lara State.
La Divina Pastora de Barquisimeto, is a procession carried out in the first month of the year in order to give devotion to the spiritual guide of that region, which is “Nuestra Señora del Carmen”.
This religious initiative has been carried out in the country and specifically in Lara State since 1856.
There are other religious traditions such as:
- The Stool of the Child Jesus
- The rosary of souls
- The devotion to Santa Cruz
- Feast of San Isidro Labrador
- Civic Patron Festivities in honor of Santa Ana
- Saint John the Baptist Day
References
- GCtholic, Cathedral of Our Lady of Mount Carmel (2014). Retrieved from: gcatholic.org.
- Barquisimeto's Cathedral by Aidnes Sánchez (2017). Obtained from: yoamobqto.com.
- Barquisimeto Cathedral. (sf) retrieved on November 25, 2017, from Wikipedia: en.wikipedia.org.
- Lara State Foundation. (sf) retrieved on November 26, 2017, from Wikipedia: en.wikipedia.org.
- Barquisimeto Cathedral Church. (sf) retrieved November 25, 2017, from: barquisimeto.com
- Venezuelan architecture. (sf) retrieved November 25, 2017, from: arquitecturarchitecture.blogspot.com
- San Francisco was the Cathedral of Barquisimeto for 3 centuries: globovision.com
- Jahn Companies retrieved November 24, 2017, from: grupojahn.com