Museo del Virreinato, Tepotzotlán
Encyclopedia
The Museo del Virreinato, Museum of the Viceroyalty of New Spain, Mexico's Spanish Colonial Period, is located in the former College of San Francisco Javier complex in Tepotzotlán
, Mexico State, Mexico
. The complex was built by the Jesuits starting in the 1580s. Here, were founded three centers of learning: a school to teach indigenous languages to Jesuit evangelists, a school for Indian boys and the College of San Francisco Javier, to train Jesuit priests. The complex comprises three sections: the College area, with dormitories, library, kitchen, domestic chapel etc.; the Church of San Francisco Javier; and the Church of San Pedro Apostol. The former college and the Church of San Francisco Javier have been converted into the Museo del Virreinato, with the former college area housing a large collection of art and ordinary objects from the colonial era, and the Church of San Francisco Javier housing one of the most important collections of Churrigueresque altarpieces in Mexico. The Church of San Pedro Apostol is the only part of the entire complex that is still used for religious purposes.
in Mexico City
to a new facility called the College of San Francisco Javier. These schools would make Tepotzotlán one of the most prestigious educational centers in New Spain.
The school complex continued to grow during the 17th century, and the adjoining Church of San Francisco Javier was begun in 1670. The school continued to grow in prestige and size until 1767, when the Jesuits were expelled from all Spanish-held territory, and the Spanish Crown took possession of all Jesuit-held properties.
The college was abandoned for eight years until Archbishop Alonso Nuñez de Haro y Peralta
put it under the care of ordinary priests and renamed it the Real Colegio de Instrucción Retiro Voluntario y Corrección del Clero Secular. This institution not only trained new priests, it served as a retirement community for old or disabled priests. It also served as a place to send priests who had “committed some kind of error.”
The Jesuits returned to Spanish territory in the mid 19th century but there were not enough of them to take over the institution even though it was offered. In 1859, the Reform Laws
declared the complex as property of the nation although the Church of San Francisco Javier still kept offering Mass
. Because of the poor conditions at penitentiaries at this time, it was decided to use former monasteries and convents for this purpose. However, in spite of the fact that the complex was turned over to the State of Mexico in 1871, the local populace would not permit it to be used as a jail. Later, such would be considered again by Porfirio Diaz
, but it never came to pass.
During the Mexican Revolution
, the school was still functioning with Father Gonzalo Carrasco as the dean. General Coss ordered the expulsion of the priest and his company as it was rumored that they were trying to reform a monastic order. Knowing that Carrasco was a painter, Coss ordered him to paint a portrait of Venustiano Carranza
and renounce his collar. Carrasco refused and was sent to the prison in Teoloyucan, and the students were sent to Mexico City. Soldiers then occupied the complex, sacking it.
The college was abandoned by the Jesuits for good in 1914 and the church was opened to the public. Rumors persisted that great treasures were buried on the complex grounds, forcing the complex to allow searches in 1928, 1931, 1932 and 1934, which caused damage to the main church. The complex was declared a national monument in 1933. The complex is one of the few in Mexico that has been preserved completely intact, including its altarpieces and artworks.
In 1961, restoration work was begun on the church and college complex by then president Adolfo Lopez Mateos
and in 1964 it was inaugurated. Most of the museum’s collection came from the old Museum of Religious Art which was part of the Mexico City Cathedral. The precious metal objects were donated by the National Museum of History
and a pre-Hispanic blanket was donated by the Museo Nacional de Antropología
. Other objects in the collection were donated by private parties.
Much of its collection is made of liturgical pieces from the old Museum of Religious Art which was part of the Mexico City Cathedral. These are distributed among the many rooms of the college complex. There are pieces done in ivory, wood and a paste made from corn stalks among other materials. Religious vestments that were in the Religious Art museum include chasubles, dalmatic stoles, capes and bags for corporals and maniples. Work in precious metals, especially silver, include a wide variety of monstrance and tabernacles, chalices, reliquaries, naviculas, crosses, censers, candlesticks, and ciboria.
It now houses important artworks and other objects relating to the colonial period of Mexico. It contains twenty paintings by Cristóbal de Villalpando
, as well as creations by Juan Correa
, Martín de Vos, Miguel Cabrera
, the Rodríguez Juárez brothers and José de Ibarra
. The collection is one of the largest from the Mexican colonial era. These paintings exhibit a variety of techniques and are almost all of religious themes. Sculptures include works done in “estofado” and “encarnado,” two techniques that were popular at the time. There are also realistic pieces with hair, glass eyes and real teeth.
There are exhibits of non-religious everyday items from the colonial period such as silverware and other objects of precious metals, textiles and tools. Among the ceramics on display are pieces created in the Majolica
and Talavera
styles, in addition to Asian pieces brought via the Manila galleon
. The museum’s collection of furniture traces the evolution of styles during this period and includes tables, chairs, stools, lecterns, and desks with metal and mother-of-pearl inlay. Numerous tools, arms and other horsemanship items are found here such as irons, harnesses, swords, guns, locks, stirrups, spurs, trunks, chests, helmets, and complete suits-of-armor. There is a collection of lacquered and inlaid objects from Michoacán
and Chiapas
which date from the 17th century.
The museum has fine example of rare feather art, as well as interesting glass objects, mostly from Spain, France, England and Germany. The book collection of about 4,000 volumes is concentrated in the old college library. The volumes date from the 16th to the 19th centuries, written in various languages with different types of binding.
Museum services include guided tours, a library specializing in colonial history and a book store. The Hostería del Convento is a lodging and restaurant facility located within the complex. Every year, this hostel sponsors “posadas,” which are a type of pre-Christmas pageant, as well as nativity plays. This tradition was revived in 1963 and fills the air with songs and fireworks. These events are accompanied by piñata
s and “ponche” a hot, spiced fruit drink.
The Church of San Francisco Javier was begun in 1670 and finished in 1682. Design of the building is attributed to José Duran. The layout of the church is of typical Latin cross design with a cupola
with a pendentive
. The groin vault
s of the church preserve decorative motifs. In the pendentive is a mural from the 17th century which is identified as Saint Aloysius Gonzaga
with tiger lilies as a symbol of purity, Saint Stanislav of Kotska with the infant Jesus in his arms, Francis of Borgia with a skull, and Ignatius of Loyola with the Jesuit standard. In the 18th century, these paintings were covered by oils of the Four Evangelists
. They were moved to the ante-choir in the 1960s.
The facade of the church of San Francisco Javier was constructed between 1760 and 1762 of grey stone and covered the original facade from the 17th century. This facade is attributed to architect Ildefonso Iniesta Bejarano. The facade summarizes the themes that are presented in the altarpieces inside. The most prominent image is of the Virgin Mary as the Great Patroness of the Jesuits. At the crest is an image of the Archangel Michael. The ornamentation of its facade continues up through the bell tower which dates from the 18th century and the use of the “estipite” (inverted truncated pyramid) column here is very evident as the decoration of the facade continues up the tower. The tower is topped by an iron cross. This facade is considered to be the most important of the Churriguerisque style in Mexico.
The large atrium
in front of the museum complex is called the Plaza de la Cruz, which contains an atrium cross made of stone and carved with scenes from the Passion of Christ.
The Church of San Francisco Javier is no longer used for religious services and is now part of the museum. This church contains one of the most important collections of Churrigueresque altarpieces in Mexico. These feature the Baroque
estipite column and were done in the 18th century by Higinio Chavez. All were done in white cedar and covered in gold leaf. In the main altarpiece is a painting of God, the Father at the crown done by Miguel Cabrera, Underneath is an image of the Immaculate Conception
with Saint Joachim
and Saint Anne
on the sides. Underneath this is an image of John the Baptist
with Saint Joseph
next to him. The altar also includes images of two martyrs who died in Japan. In the center of the altarpiece is the image of Company of Jesus co-founder Saint Francis Xavier
with a flaming heart shown on his chest, symbolizing divine love.
The main altar and the side altars are related thematically. Those on the presbytery
side are dedicated to two of the most important Jesuit saints (Saints Ignatius of Loyola and Saint Joseph) and the altars on the other side are dedicated to those of the Third Order of the Company of Jesus, such as Francis of Borgia, shown with a crowned skull, Aloysius Gonzaga and Stanislav of Kotska. One other altarpiece is dedicated to the Virgin of Guadalupe and was completed in 1756. This altar contains an image of this Virgin as she appeared to Juan Diego as well as other saints associated with harvests, such as Saint Barbara
.
In the second section of the nave is the Chapel of the Virgin of Loreto, which has a portal that is a replica of the house of Loreto. In the back of the temple is the Alcove of the Virgin and the Chapel of the Relic of Saint Joseph. The House of Loreto is, by tradition, considered to be the home of the Virgin Mary, and behind it there is an alcove dedicated to the Virgin of Loreto. Near here is a very small room dedicated to a relic supposedly of Saint Joseph. Next to this is the presbytery and the sacristy, which is filled with oil paintings. The Church of San Francisco Javier, the Loreto Chapel and the Alcove of the Virgin of Loreto are considered to be works of art in themselves.
Tepotzotlán
Tepotzotlán is a city and a municipality in the Mexico state of Mexico. It is located 115 km northeast of Mexico City about a 45-minute drive along the Mexico City-Querétaro at marker number 41. In Aztec times, the area was the center of a dominion that negotiated to keep most of its...
, Mexico State, Mexico
Mexico
The United Mexican States , commonly known as Mexico , is a federal constitutional republic in North America. It is bordered on the north by the United States; on the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; on the southeast by Guatemala, Belize, and the Caribbean Sea; and on the east by the Gulf of...
. The complex was built by the Jesuits starting in the 1580s. Here, were founded three centers of learning: a school to teach indigenous languages to Jesuit evangelists, a school for Indian boys and the College of San Francisco Javier, to train Jesuit priests. The complex comprises three sections: the College area, with dormitories, library, kitchen, domestic chapel etc.; the Church of San Francisco Javier; and the Church of San Pedro Apostol. The former college and the Church of San Francisco Javier have been converted into the Museo del Virreinato, with the former college area housing a large collection of art and ordinary objects from the colonial era, and the Church of San Francisco Javier housing one of the most important collections of Churrigueresque altarpieces in Mexico. The Church of San Pedro Apostol is the only part of the entire complex that is still used for religious purposes.
The College of San Francisco Javier
The Jesuits arrived late for the evangelization of most of the populace of central Mexico, most of which had already been done by other orders such as the Franciscans by the 1580s. However, the Jesuits did find a need in education. The Jesuits arrived to Tepotzotlán in the 1580s and took up residence in local structures. A local Indian leader, Martín Maldonado, became impressed with the Jesuits, who had already started a school to teach indigenous languages to priests. Maldonado made a large donation to the Jesuits in order begin a school for Indian boys. This school was named San Martín and the boys were taught religion, reading and writing in Spanish and music. In the mid 1580s the training of Jesuit priests was moved from the San Pedro y San Pablo CollegeSan Pedro y San Pablo College (Museum of Light)
The San Pedro y San Pablo College complex has seen a lot of changes since it was built in late 16th and early 17th centuries, and today the church portion of the complex is home to the Museo de la Luz sponsored by the National Autonomous University of Mexico...
in Mexico City
Mexico City
Mexico City is the Federal District , capital of Mexico and seat of the federal powers of the Mexican Union. It is a federal entity within Mexico which is not part of any one of the 31 Mexican states but belongs to the federation as a whole...
to a new facility called the College of San Francisco Javier. These schools would make Tepotzotlán one of the most prestigious educational centers in New Spain.
The school complex continued to grow during the 17th century, and the adjoining Church of San Francisco Javier was begun in 1670. The school continued to grow in prestige and size until 1767, when the Jesuits were expelled from all Spanish-held territory, and the Spanish Crown took possession of all Jesuit-held properties.
The college was abandoned for eight years until Archbishop Alonso Nuñez de Haro y Peralta
Alonso Núñez de Haro y Peralta
Dr. Alonso Núñez de Haro y Peralta was archbishop of Mexico from September 12, 1772 to May 26, 1800, and viceroy of New Spain from May 8, 1787 to August 16, 1787.-Origins and education:Núñez de Haro was born in the diocese of Cuenca, Spain, probably on October 31, 1729, although some...
put it under the care of ordinary priests and renamed it the Real Colegio de Instrucción Retiro Voluntario y Corrección del Clero Secular. This institution not only trained new priests, it served as a retirement community for old or disabled priests. It also served as a place to send priests who had “committed some kind of error.”
The Jesuits returned to Spanish territory in the mid 19th century but there were not enough of them to take over the institution even though it was offered. In 1859, the Reform Laws
Reform War
The Reform War in Mexico is one of the episodes of the long struggle between Liberal and Conservative forces that dominated the country’s history in the 19th century. The Liberals wanted a federalist government, limiting traditional Catholic Church and military influence in the country...
declared the complex as property of the nation although the Church of San Francisco Javier still kept offering Mass
Mass (liturgy)
"Mass" is one of the names by which the sacrament of the Eucharist is called in the Roman Catholic Church: others are "Eucharist", the "Lord's Supper", the "Breaking of Bread", the "Eucharistic assembly ", the "memorial of the Lord's Passion and Resurrection", the "Holy Sacrifice", the "Holy and...
. Because of the poor conditions at penitentiaries at this time, it was decided to use former monasteries and convents for this purpose. However, in spite of the fact that the complex was turned over to the State of Mexico in 1871, the local populace would not permit it to be used as a jail. Later, such would be considered again by Porfirio Diaz
Porfirio Díaz
José de la Cruz Porfirio Díaz Mori was a Mexican-American War volunteer and French intervention hero, an accomplished general and the President of Mexico continuously from 1876 to 1911, with the exception of a brief term in 1876 when he left Juan N...
, but it never came to pass.
During the Mexican Revolution
Mexican Revolution
The Mexican Revolution was a major armed struggle that started in 1910, with an uprising led by Francisco I. Madero against longtime autocrat Porfirio Díaz. The Revolution was characterized by several socialist, liberal, anarchist, populist, and agrarianist movements. Over time the Revolution...
, the school was still functioning with Father Gonzalo Carrasco as the dean. General Coss ordered the expulsion of the priest and his company as it was rumored that they were trying to reform a monastic order. Knowing that Carrasco was a painter, Coss ordered him to paint a portrait of Venustiano Carranza
Venustiano Carranza
Venustiano Carranza de la Garza, was one of the leaders of the Mexican Revolution. He ultimately became President of Mexico following the overthrow of the dictatorial Huerta regime in the summer of 1914 and during his administration the current constitution of Mexico was drafted...
and renounce his collar. Carrasco refused and was sent to the prison in Teoloyucan, and the students were sent to Mexico City. Soldiers then occupied the complex, sacking it.
The college was abandoned by the Jesuits for good in 1914 and the church was opened to the public. Rumors persisted that great treasures were buried on the complex grounds, forcing the complex to allow searches in 1928, 1931, 1932 and 1934, which caused damage to the main church. The complex was declared a national monument in 1933. The complex is one of the few in Mexico that has been preserved completely intact, including its altarpieces and artworks.
In 1961, restoration work was begun on the church and college complex by then president Adolfo Lopez Mateos
Adolfo López Mateos
Adolfo López Mateos was a Mexican politician affiliated to the Institutional Revolutionary Party who served as President of Mexico from 1958 to 1964...
and in 1964 it was inaugurated. Most of the museum’s collection came from the old Museum of Religious Art which was part of the Mexico City Cathedral. The precious metal objects were donated by the National Museum of History
Museo Nacional de Historia
The Museo Nacional de Historia is a national museum of Mexico, located inside Chapultepec Castle in Mexico City...
and a pre-Hispanic blanket was donated by the Museo Nacional de Antropología
Museo Nacional de Antropología
The Museo Nacional de Antropología is a national museum of Mexico. Located in the area between Paseo de la Reforma and Calle Mahatma Gandhi within Chapultepec Park in Mexico City, the museum contains significant archaeological and anthropological artifacts from the pre-Columbian heritage of...
. Other objects in the collection were donated by private parties.
The museum
Most of the complex is taken up by the Museo del Virreinato situated in what used to be the College of San Francisco Javier. The Museo is considered to be one of the most impressive in the country due both to its collection and to the aesthetics of the building that houses it. Remodeling of the college began in 1961 and finished three years later under the direction of then-president Adolfo López Mateos. It was inaugurated with much the same look and permanent collection that it has today. The complex contains a number of interior courtyards, such as the Aljibes and the Naranjo, as well as a domestic chapel, library, dormitories, refectory, and kitchen. A wide arched passageway in the back of the complex leads to the extensive gardens area of more than 3 hectares, filled with gardens, sculptures and the original Salta de Agua fountain, which marked the end of the old Chapultepec aqueduct.Much of its collection is made of liturgical pieces from the old Museum of Religious Art which was part of the Mexico City Cathedral. These are distributed among the many rooms of the college complex. There are pieces done in ivory, wood and a paste made from corn stalks among other materials. Religious vestments that were in the Religious Art museum include chasubles, dalmatic stoles, capes and bags for corporals and maniples. Work in precious metals, especially silver, include a wide variety of monstrance and tabernacles, chalices, reliquaries, naviculas, crosses, censers, candlesticks, and ciboria.
It now houses important artworks and other objects relating to the colonial period of Mexico. It contains twenty paintings by Cristóbal de Villalpando
Cristóbal de Villalpando
Cristóbal de Villalpando was a Mexican painter. He painted prolifically and produced many Baroque works visible in several Mexican cathedrals, including the cathedrals in Querétaro and Mexico City.. He married María de Mendoza in 1669, and later had four children.-References:...
, as well as creations by Juan Correa
Juan Correa
Juan Correa was a Mexican painter of mixed Moorish or African, Indian and Spanish heritage. His years of greatest activity were from 1671 to 1716. He painted many religious-themed, Baroque paintings for cathedrals in Mexico. Correa was José de Ibarra's teacher...
, Martín de Vos, Miguel Cabrera
Miguel Cabrera
José Miguel Cabrera Torres nicknamed "Miggy", is a Venezuelan professional baseball first baseman with the Detroit Tigers of Major League Baseball. He bats and throws right-handed....
, the Rodríguez Juárez brothers and José de Ibarra
José de Ibarra
José de Ibarra was a Mexican painter. He was born in Guadalajara, Mexico and died 21 Nov 1756 in Mexico City. He was a student of painter Juan Correa. Many of his pieces are preserved in Mexican museums and the Metropolitan Cathedral in Mexico City. He was one of the most prolific painters of...
. The collection is one of the largest from the Mexican colonial era. These paintings exhibit a variety of techniques and are almost all of religious themes. Sculptures include works done in “estofado” and “encarnado,” two techniques that were popular at the time. There are also realistic pieces with hair, glass eyes and real teeth.
There are exhibits of non-religious everyday items from the colonial period such as silverware and other objects of precious metals, textiles and tools. Among the ceramics on display are pieces created in the Majolica
Maiolica
Maiolica is Italian tin-glazed pottery dating from the Renaissance. It is decorated in bright colours on a white background, frequently depicting historical and legendary scenes.-Name:...
and Talavera
Talavera (pottery)
Talavera pottery of Puebla, Mexico is a type of majolica pottery, which is distinguished by a milky-white glaze. Authentic Talavera pottery only comes from the city of Puebla and the nearby communities of Atlixco, Cholula, and Tecali, because of the quality of the natural clay found there and the...
styles, in addition to Asian pieces brought via the Manila galleon
Manila Galleon
The Manila galleons or Manila-Acapulco galleons were Spanish trading ships that sailed once or twice per year across the Pacific Ocean between Manila in the Philippines, and Acapulco, New Spain . The name changed reflecting the city that the ship was sailing from...
. The museum’s collection of furniture traces the evolution of styles during this period and includes tables, chairs, stools, lecterns, and desks with metal and mother-of-pearl inlay. Numerous tools, arms and other horsemanship items are found here such as irons, harnesses, swords, guns, locks, stirrups, spurs, trunks, chests, helmets, and complete suits-of-armor. There is a collection of lacquered and inlaid objects from Michoacán
Michoacán
Michoacán officially Estado Libre y Soberano de Michoacán de Ocampo is one of the 31 states which, with the Federal District, comprise the 32 Federal Entities of Mexico. It is divided in 113 municipalities and its capital city is Morelia...
and Chiapas
Chiapas
Chiapas officially Estado Libre y Soberano de Chiapas is one of the 31 states that, with the Federal District, comprise the 32 Federal Entities of Mexico. It is divided in 118 municipalities and its capital city is Tuxtla Gutierrez. Other important cites in Chiapas include San Cristóbal de las...
which date from the 17th century.
The museum has fine example of rare feather art, as well as interesting glass objects, mostly from Spain, France, England and Germany. The book collection of about 4,000 volumes is concentrated in the old college library. The volumes date from the 16th to the 19th centuries, written in various languages with different types of binding.
Museum services include guided tours, a library specializing in colonial history and a book store. The Hostería del Convento is a lodging and restaurant facility located within the complex. Every year, this hostel sponsors “posadas,” which are a type of pre-Christmas pageant, as well as nativity plays. This tradition was revived in 1963 and fills the air with songs and fireworks. These events are accompanied by piñata
Piñata
A piñata is a papier-mâché or other type of container that is decorated, filled with toys and or candy and then broken as part of a ceremony or celebration. Piñatas are most commonly associated with Mexico, but its origins are considered to be in China...
s and “ponche” a hot, spiced fruit drink.
Church of San Francisco Javier
Cupola
In architecture, a cupola is a small, most-often dome-like, structure on top of a building. Often used to provide a lookout or to admit light and air, it usually crowns a larger roof or dome....
with a pendentive
Pendentive
A pendentive is a constructive device permitting the placing of a circular dome over a square room or an elliptical dome over a rectangular room. The pendentives, which are triangular segments of a sphere, taper to points at the bottom and spread at the top to establish the continuous circular or...
. The groin vault
Groin vault
A groin vault or groined vault is produced by the intersection at right angles of two barrel vaults. The word groin refers to the edge between the intersecting vaults; cf. ribbed vault. Sometimes the arches of groin vaults are pointed instead of round...
s of the church preserve decorative motifs. In the pendentive is a mural from the 17th century which is identified as Saint Aloysius Gonzaga
Aloysius Gonzaga
- Early life :Aloysius Gonzaga was born at his family's castle in Castiglione delle Stiviere, between Brescia and Mantova in northern Italy in what was then part of the Papal States. He was a member of the illustrious House of Gonzaga...
with tiger lilies as a symbol of purity, Saint Stanislav of Kotska with the infant Jesus in his arms, Francis of Borgia with a skull, and Ignatius of Loyola with the Jesuit standard. In the 18th century, these paintings were covered by oils of the Four Evangelists
Four Evangelists
In Christian tradition the Four Evangelists are Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John, the authors attributed with the creation of the four Gospel accounts in the New Testament that bear the following titles:*Gospel according to Matthew*Gospel according to Mark...
. They were moved to the ante-choir in the 1960s.
The facade of the church of San Francisco Javier was constructed between 1760 and 1762 of grey stone and covered the original facade from the 17th century. This facade is attributed to architect Ildefonso Iniesta Bejarano. The facade summarizes the themes that are presented in the altarpieces inside. The most prominent image is of the Virgin Mary as the Great Patroness of the Jesuits. At the crest is an image of the Archangel Michael. The ornamentation of its facade continues up through the bell tower which dates from the 18th century and the use of the “estipite” (inverted truncated pyramid) column here is very evident as the decoration of the facade continues up the tower. The tower is topped by an iron cross. This facade is considered to be the most important of the Churriguerisque style in Mexico.
The large atrium
Atrium (architecture)
In modern architecture, an atrium is a large open space, often several stories high and having a glazed roof and/or large windows, often situated within a larger multistory building and often located immediately beyond the main entrance doors...
in front of the museum complex is called the Plaza de la Cruz, which contains an atrium cross made of stone and carved with scenes from the Passion of Christ.
The Church of San Francisco Javier is no longer used for religious services and is now part of the museum. This church contains one of the most important collections of Churrigueresque altarpieces in Mexico. These feature the Baroque
Baroque architecture
Baroque architecture is a term used to describe the building style of the Baroque era, begun in late sixteenth century Italy, that took the Roman vocabulary of Renaissance architecture and used it in a new rhetorical and theatrical fashion, often to express the triumph of the Catholic Church and...
estipite column and were done in the 18th century by Higinio Chavez. All were done in white cedar and covered in gold leaf. In the main altarpiece is a painting of God, the Father at the crown done by Miguel Cabrera, Underneath is an image of the Immaculate Conception
Immaculate Conception
The Immaculate Conception of Mary is a dogma of the Roman Catholic Church, according to which the Virgin Mary was conceived without any stain of original sin. It is one of the four dogmata in Roman Catholic Mariology...
with Saint Joachim
Joachim
Saint Joachim was the husband of Saint Anne and the father of Mary, the mother of Jesus in the Roman Catholic, Orthodox, and Anglican traditions. The story of Joachim and Anne appears first in the apocryphal Gospel of James...
and Saint Anne
Saint Anne
Saint Hanna of David's house and line, was the mother of the Virgin Mary and grandmother of Jesus Christ according to Christian and Islamic tradition. English Anne is derived from Greek rendering of her Hebrew name Hannah...
on the sides. Underneath this is an image of John the Baptist
John the Baptist
John the Baptist was an itinerant preacher and a major religious figure mentioned in the Canonical gospels. He is described in the Gospel of Luke as a relative of Jesus, who led a movement of baptism at the Jordan River...
with Saint Joseph
Saint Joseph
Saint Joseph is a figure in the Gospels, the husband of the Virgin Mary and the earthly father of Jesus Christ ....
next to him. The altar also includes images of two martyrs who died in Japan. In the center of the altarpiece is the image of Company of Jesus co-founder Saint Francis Xavier
Francis Xavier
Francis Xavier, born Francisco de Jasso y Azpilicueta was a pioneering Roman Catholic missionary born in the Kingdom of Navarre and co-founder of the Society of Jesus. He was a student of Saint Ignatius of Loyola and one of the first seven Jesuits, dedicated at Montmartre in 1534...
with a flaming heart shown on his chest, symbolizing divine love.
The main altar and the side altars are related thematically. Those on the presbytery
Presbytery (architecture)
The presbytery is the name for an area in a church building which is reserved for the clergy.In the oldest church it is separated by short walls, by small columns and pilasters in the Renaissance ones; it can also be raised, being reachable by a few steps, usually with railings....
side are dedicated to two of the most important Jesuit saints (Saints Ignatius of Loyola and Saint Joseph) and the altars on the other side are dedicated to those of the Third Order of the Company of Jesus, such as Francis of Borgia, shown with a crowned skull, Aloysius Gonzaga and Stanislav of Kotska. One other altarpiece is dedicated to the Virgin of Guadalupe and was completed in 1756. This altar contains an image of this Virgin as she appeared to Juan Diego as well as other saints associated with harvests, such as Saint Barbara
Saint Barbara
Saint Barbara, , Feast Day December 4, known in the Eastern Orthodox Church as the Great Martyr Barbara, was an early Christian saint and martyr....
.
In the second section of the nave is the Chapel of the Virgin of Loreto, which has a portal that is a replica of the house of Loreto. In the back of the temple is the Alcove of the Virgin and the Chapel of the Relic of Saint Joseph. The House of Loreto is, by tradition, considered to be the home of the Virgin Mary, and behind it there is an alcove dedicated to the Virgin of Loreto. Near here is a very small room dedicated to a relic supposedly of Saint Joseph. Next to this is the presbytery and the sacristy, which is filled with oil paintings. The Church of San Francisco Javier, the Loreto Chapel and the Alcove of the Virgin of Loreto are considered to be works of art in themselves.