Nuestra Señora de la Merced, Antigua Guatemala

by CC81
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La Merced Church. Apr
9th, 2006

The beginning of Semana Santa.
- The day commemorates the spreading of palms and clothing in Jesus' path as He entered Jerusalem prior to His crucifixion -
(www3.kumc.edu)

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	Nuestra Señora de la Merced: Corpus Christi Celebration Tip Rating:

By Hopkid

on November 30, 2007

by Hopkid, 4 more photos
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No where near as elaborate or as touristy as the Semana Santa celebrations, the Corpus Christi celebration on the second weekend in June is an interesting view into local Antigueno life without the hassles of large crowds and inflated lodging rates. There's a parade with fireworks outside the Catedral de Santiago on the Parque Central on Friday night. On Sunday following mass at the Iglesia de la Nuestra Senora de la Merced, there's a procession marked by fireworks, music, blessings, and a procession around the northwest neighborhood of Antigua that follows ornamental carpets made from dried leaves and pine needles. These tapete are not nearly as elaborate or colorful as the alfrombra seen during Semana Santa but they are wonderful to see nonetheless. We were lucky enough to see these in Antigua and in Solola the weekend before.

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	Nuestra Señora de la Merced: Constructed to be earthquake... Tip Rating:

By la_beba

on October 5, 2002

by la_beba
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Constructed to be earthquake proof, it survived the great earthquake of Santa Marta six years later. The monastery, on the other hand, was completely ruin, in spite of its solid walls. In the 1800’s, its rubble was utilized to build the church in San Felipe de Jesus.
The beautiful altars that decorated the temple of La Merced before 1773, as well as the organ, are found today at La Merced Church of Guatemala City.

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	Nuestra Señora de la Merced: Nuestra Señora de la Merced... Tip Rating:

By la_beba

on October 5, 2002

by la_beba
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Nuestra Señora de la Merced patron saint of the city, was worshipped here and turned La Merced into a very popular church. It was also the most important provincial center of the Mercedarians. The monastery, housing up to one hundred monks, possessed a remarkable library, in addition to all the necessary rooms and facilities of a large monastery

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	Nuestra Señora de la Merced: One of the most beautiful and... Tip Rating:

By la_beba

on October 5, 2002

by la_beba
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One of the most beautiful and representative things of Antigua Guatemala, is the Church and Monastery of La Merced.
The Mercedarian Order was founded in America in 1538, at an early stage of the Spanish colonization. Their monastery in Ciudad Vieja was simply built, most likely from straw and adobe.
The construction of La Merced Church in the new capital began in the mid 1500’s Due to the earthquake of 1565 and 1689, the Mercedarians had to continually rebuild, modify, amplify, repair their church monastery.