Concatedral de San Nicolás el Magno
Encyclopedia
The Catedral San Nicolás el Magno is a Roman Catholic co-cathedral
, located in the municipality of Rionegro, Antioquia
, Colombia
. The church, under the Diocese of Sonsón-Rionegro is dedicated to Saint Nicholas
and was elevated to the title of cathedral on 20 April of 1968 by Pope
Paul I
.
, Ángel Velarde y Bustamante, made a pastoral visit to the church, and was affected by what he saw as evil spirits in the church. Obtaining consent, he saw that the old temple was demolished and asked for administrative and communal funding and support to erect a new church in its place. The bishops Jose Pablo de Villa and Jose Felix de Mejía would be in charge to administer these resources, in addition to the directing and handling the work of the new parochial church.
The old church was demolished in the same year (1793), and the church commenced construction, with walls made of limestone
and brick
and later reinforced with mud. The style of the church was heavily influenced by the Iglesia de la Candelaria that had been built in Medellín
twenty years earlier. Chief construction official was Antonio de Orozco, and the painter, Jose Pablo Chávez, a native of Cali
and resident of Santa Fe de Antioquia was brought in to paint the lower part of the balconies depicting a ship and skies. In December of 1803 the Father's Jose Pablo de Villa and Mateo Cardona began to celebrate in the new church, not yet finished, and finally on 8 September of 1804, with a solemn inauguration, the church was officially opened.
On 21 March of 1812, a treaty was signed and proclaimed in the church for the Constitution of the Free and Independent Sovereign State of Antioquia from colonial rule, in which 19 representatives of the towns of Antioquia participated. The independence was proclaimed in the pulpit of the church by the Bishop Jose Felix de Mejía, who was incidentally an uncle of the ex-president Liborio Mejía
. On April 7, 1814, the funeral and subsequent burial of the dictator President of Colombia
Juan del Corral
took place.
In 1892, the first substantial modification of interior and exterior occurred where the altarpieces of and clock dating from 1837 were altered. A meeting held on 30 December of 1890, had decided that the two lateral towers of the main facade of the church, that originally had been made from wood were on the verge of sinking and needed immediate repair. The diocese set a budget of 1,500 pesos to conduct restoration work, but the total cost far exceeded this at 2,801 pesos.
In 1926 a second structual change took place, when the Colombian architect Tomás Uribe and the Belgian
architect Agustín Goovaerts, were hired to modify the original gothicstyle
one and redesign the main facade in a neoclassic style. Completed in 1940, this design of the cathedral remains today. Later, in 1954, a silver
lining of the table of the altar was inducted by silversmith Carlos Minami after a donation. In 1957, the central altar was altered, replacing its old oil painting
s with the present gilded one laminated in gold
, and reconstructions of the altar structure with plaster reproductions.
On March 18 of 1957, the Diocese of Sonsón was created by means of the “In Apostolici Muneris” of Pope
Pius XII, dismantling the territory of the Archdiocese of Medellín, and creating the parish of San Nicholas of Rionegro within this new territory.
On February 8 of 1959, the Coronation of Nuestra Señora del Rosario de Arma conducted by Archbishop Paolo Bertoli, took place in the presence of the civilian authorities, military, ecclesiastical clergy and the public, which occupied the main square of Rionegro on the day.
Between the years of 1963 and 1965, the Catedral de San Nicolás the niches of the ships on the altar underwent change and were modernised from the original gothic style. After this Samuel Alvarez B. was appointed to the task of reconstructing and extending the cathedral laterally, affecting the mausoleum
of dictator Juan de Corral (buried in 1814). With architect Nel Rodríguez, the construction of a new parochial hall and side buildings took place in the 1970s, with works concluded in 1977.
On April 20 of 1968, the church was elevated to that of a Co-cathedral
, proclaimed by Pope Paul I
and has since evolved to become a part of the Diocese of Sonsón-Rionegro.
Co-cathedral
A co-cathedral is a cathedral church which shares the function of being a bishop's seat, or cathedra, with another cathedral. Instances of this occurred in England before the Protestant Reformation in the dioceses of Bath and Wells, and of Coventry and Lichfield, hence the names of these dioceses...
, located in the municipality of Rionegro, Antioquia
Rionegro, Antioquia
Rionegro is a city and municipality in Antioquia Department, Colombia, located in the subregion of Eastern Antioquia. The official name of the City is "Ciudad Santiago de Arma de Rionegro" but is named after the Negro River which is the most prominent geographical feature of the municipality...
, Colombia
Colombia
Colombia, officially the Republic of Colombia , is a unitary constitutional republic comprising thirty-two departments. The country is located in northwestern South America, bordered to the east by Venezuela and Brazil; to the south by Ecuador and Peru; to the north by the Caribbean Sea; to the...
. The church, under the Diocese of Sonsón-Rionegro is dedicated to Saint Nicholas
Saint Nicholas
Saint Nicholas , also called Nikolaos of Myra, was a historic 4th-century saint and Greek Bishop of Myra . Because of the many miracles attributed to his intercession, he is also known as Nikolaos the Wonderworker...
and was elevated to the title of cathedral on 20 April of 1968 by Pope
Pope
The Pope is the Bishop of Rome, a position that makes him the leader of the worldwide Catholic Church . In the Catholic Church, the Pope is regarded as the successor of Saint Peter, the Apostle...
Paul I
Pope Paul I
Pope Paul I was pope from May 29, 757 to June 28, 767. He first served as a Roman deacon and was frequently employed by his brother, Pope Stephen II, in negotiations with the Lombard kings....
.
History
The first church dates from between 1662 and 1668, and it became a center of evangelisation for the first priests and missionaries arriving from Europe. 125 years later, on March 8 of 1793, the then bishop of PopayánPopayán
Popayán is the capital of the Colombian department of Cauca. It is located in southwestern Colombia between Colombia's Western Mountain Range and Central Mountain Range...
, Ángel Velarde y Bustamante, made a pastoral visit to the church, and was affected by what he saw as evil spirits in the church. Obtaining consent, he saw that the old temple was demolished and asked for administrative and communal funding and support to erect a new church in its place. The bishops Jose Pablo de Villa and Jose Felix de Mejía would be in charge to administer these resources, in addition to the directing and handling the work of the new parochial church.
The old church was demolished in the same year (1793), and the church commenced construction, with walls made of limestone
Limestone
Limestone is a sedimentary rock composed largely of the minerals calcite and aragonite, which are different crystal forms of calcium carbonate . Many limestones are composed from skeletal fragments of marine organisms such as coral or foraminifera....
and brick
Brick
A brick is a block of ceramic material used in masonry construction, usually laid using various kinds of mortar. It has been regarded as one of the longest lasting and strongest building materials used throughout history.-History:...
and later reinforced with mud. The style of the church was heavily influenced by the Iglesia de la Candelaria that had been built in Medellín
Medellín
Medellín , officially the Municipio de Medellín or Municipality of Medellín, is the second largest city in Colombia. It is in the Aburrá Valley, one of the more northerly of the Andes in South America. It has a population of 2.3 million...
twenty years earlier. Chief construction official was Antonio de Orozco, and the painter, Jose Pablo Chávez, a native of Cali
Calì
Calì, also written in English as Cali, is an Italian surname, widespread mainly in the Ionian side of Sicily.For the surname Calì is assumed the origin of the Greek word kalos , or from its Sanskrit root kali, "time."The surname refers to:...
and resident of Santa Fe de Antioquia was brought in to paint the lower part of the balconies depicting a ship and skies. In December of 1803 the Father's Jose Pablo de Villa and Mateo Cardona began to celebrate in the new church, not yet finished, and finally on 8 September of 1804, with a solemn inauguration, the church was officially opened.
Liborio Mejía
Liborio Mejía Gutiérrez was a Colombian colonel and politician during the struggle for Independence from Spain, and in 1816 Liborio Mejía became president of the United Provinces of the New Granada making him the youngest person to ever hold the presidency of Colombia at the age of 24...
. On April 7, 1814, the funeral and subsequent burial of the dictator President of Colombia
President of Colombia
The President of Colombia is the head of state and head of government of the Republic of Colombia. The office of president was established upon the ratification of the Constitution of 1819, by the Congress of Angostura, convened in December 1819, when Colombia was part of "la Gran Colombia"...
Juan del Corral
Juan del Corral
Juan del Corral was an early seventeenth century Spanish architect who worked in Peru. His most famous bridge, El Puente de Piedra in Lima is known as the Bridge of Eggs because the myth is that it was constructed using over 10,000 sea bird egg whites mixed with stone....
took place.
In 1892, the first substantial modification of interior and exterior occurred where the altarpieces of and clock dating from 1837 were altered. A meeting held on 30 December of 1890, had decided that the two lateral towers of the main facade of the church, that originally had been made from wood were on the verge of sinking and needed immediate repair. The diocese set a budget of 1,500 pesos to conduct restoration work, but the total cost far exceeded this at 2,801 pesos.
In 1926 a second structual change took place, when the Colombian architect Tomás Uribe and the Belgian
Belgium
Belgium , officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a federal state in Western Europe. It is a founding member of the European Union and hosts the EU's headquarters, and those of several other major international organisations such as NATO.Belgium is also a member of, or affiliated to, many...
architect Agustín Goovaerts, were hired to modify the original gothicstyle
Gothic architecture
Gothic architecture is a style of architecture that flourished during the high and late medieval period. It evolved from Romanesque architecture and was succeeded by Renaissance architecture....
one and redesign the main facade in a neoclassic style. Completed in 1940, this design of the cathedral remains today. Later, in 1954, a silver
Silver
Silver is a metallic chemical element with the chemical symbol Ag and atomic number 47. A soft, white, lustrous transition metal, it has the highest electrical conductivity of any element and the highest thermal conductivity of any metal...
lining of the table of the altar was inducted by silversmith Carlos Minami after a donation. In 1957, the central altar was altered, replacing its old oil painting
Oil painting
Oil painting is the process of painting with pigments that are bound with a medium of drying oil—especially in early modern Europe, linseed oil. Often an oil such as linseed was boiled with a resin such as pine resin or even frankincense; these were called 'varnishes' and were prized for their body...
s with the present gilded one laminated in gold
Gold
Gold is a chemical element with the symbol Au and an atomic number of 79. Gold is a dense, soft, shiny, malleable and ductile metal. Pure gold has a bright yellow color and luster traditionally considered attractive, which it maintains without oxidizing in air or water. Chemically, gold is a...
, and reconstructions of the altar structure with plaster reproductions.
On March 18 of 1957, the Diocese of Sonsón was created by means of the “In Apostolici Muneris” of Pope
Pope
The Pope is the Bishop of Rome, a position that makes him the leader of the worldwide Catholic Church . In the Catholic Church, the Pope is regarded as the successor of Saint Peter, the Apostle...
Pius XII, dismantling the territory of the Archdiocese of Medellín, and creating the parish of San Nicholas of Rionegro within this new territory.
On February 8 of 1959, the Coronation of Nuestra Señora del Rosario de Arma conducted by Archbishop Paolo Bertoli, took place in the presence of the civilian authorities, military, ecclesiastical clergy and the public, which occupied the main square of Rionegro on the day.
Between the years of 1963 and 1965, the Catedral de San Nicolás the niches of the ships on the altar underwent change and were modernised from the original gothic style. After this Samuel Alvarez B. was appointed to the task of reconstructing and extending the cathedral laterally, affecting the mausoleum
Mausoleum
A mausoleum is an external free-standing building constructed as a monument enclosing the interment space or burial chamber of a deceased person or persons. A monument without the interment is a cenotaph. A mausoleum may be considered a type of tomb or the tomb may be considered to be within the...
of dictator Juan de Corral (buried in 1814). With architect Nel Rodríguez, the construction of a new parochial hall and side buildings took place in the 1970s, with works concluded in 1977.
On April 20 of 1968, the church was elevated to that of a Co-cathedral
Co-cathedral
A co-cathedral is a cathedral church which shares the function of being a bishop's seat, or cathedra, with another cathedral. Instances of this occurred in England before the Protestant Reformation in the dioceses of Bath and Wells, and of Coventry and Lichfield, hence the names of these dioceses...
, proclaimed by Pope Paul I
Pope Paul I
Pope Paul I was pope from May 29, 757 to June 28, 767. He first served as a Roman deacon and was frequently employed by his brother, Pope Stephen II, in negotiations with the Lombard kings....
and has since evolved to become a part of the Diocese of Sonsón-Rionegro.