One of the loveliest churches in our city is La Inmaculada Concepcion (the Immaculate
Conception), better known as Las Monjas—the nuns. It has a fascinating history not only
because it is tied to one of the major families of the 18 th century, but in the way the building was constructed, and what it eventually evolved into.
Manuel Tomas de la Canal and his wife, Maria Josefa de Hervas, settled in San Miguel in the early 1730s. He had come from Mexico City, from a wealthy Spanish family that dedicated itself to commerce, and accumulated great riches. Manuel Tomas was a wealthy young man when he arrived in San Miguel, and shortly after his arrival became engaged to Maria who also came from a noble, and wealthy family from Guanajuato. After marrying, they built a new family home, the building which is now Instituto Allende. They had nine children, and among them was Josefa Lina, the oldest daughter.
Both Manuel Tomas and his wife Maria died in 1749 within a week of each other. The children were left orphans, but were well provided for with the large family fortune, and went on to marry and create families of their own. Josefa Lina, however, had other plans. She was thirteen when her parents died, leaving her an inheritance of 70,000 pesos, which was a considerable fortune. Her plans, however, were not for a secular life because from an early age she had expressed the desire to become a nun. This is indeed what she did, at age 15, and with the money from her inheritance began the construction of a church and a convent.
The convent was constructed first and Josefa Lina and a handful of nuns of the order of Sisters of the Immaculate Conception, moved there in 1765. Five years later, in 1770, Josefa Lina died at the age of 34. Although construction of the church had also been started during her lifetime, it was not finished until the late 19th century. The original architect to work on the building was Francisco Martínez Gudino, and he brought in four other architects. The style was Baroque, used in most of the buildings of the time. However Gudino was known for his extremely flamboyant decorations, and used them inside the church. Unfortunately a lot of the interior was pilfered during various revolutions, and today it is a much different space.
After the death of Josefa Lina, some work continued, but it was not until the 1880s when the church was finally completed, and the emblematic dome constructed. It was Zeferino Gutierrez who was contracted in the late 1800s to finish the job. Gutierrez was not an architect, he was a worker in brick and stone, but he had accomplished some great works on churches, and his ideas and work were highly valued. He added the magnificent façade to the Parroquia, a work that took him ten years, but resulted in a captivating mix of styles that makes the Parroquia of San Miguel one of the most unique buildings in Mexico. Gutierrez had a habit of looking at postcards which were quite popular at the time. In them he would find facades or elements in buildings around the world that he then copied. According to local history, he was so taken by the dome of Les Invalides in Paris—the resting place of Napoleon Bonaparte—that he chose it as his model on the church of Las Monjas. His recreation of the French dome is truly lovely, and although the exterior of the dome is not golden as it is in the original, the yellow color approximates the brilliance of the one in Paris. The interior of the church is quite impressive as well, with the high walls and columns, and finally as one reaches the temple there is the gigantic, twelve-sided dome created entirely with bricks. It is just as impressive seen from within as it rises high above with intricate brickwork.
When you enter the church you are struck by the long nave, the rather sparse decorations—not the original intent—but the result of the looting during the many revolutions and conflicts over the centuries. Not only were many decorations broken off and taken away, but the frescoes that decorated the walls are also gone. We are left with a rather austere interior for a Mexican Catholic church, which are usually highly decorated. This creates a somber, calming effect.
Inside the church, you are confronted with a statue of a black saint, highly worshipped in Mexico and Latin America. San Martin de Porres was a lay brother of the Dominican Order who lived in Peru in the 16th century. Because of his skin color, he was not allowed to be ordained, and instead spent his life serving the order with menial tasks. This is the reason why he is depicted with either a basket in which he carries provisions, or with a broom, and in Las Monjas he is shown with both.
Once you are inside the church and look right you will see a grated wall behind which is the
nun’s choir. If you are ever able to get within you will see golden and silver walls rising high, many statues of saints, and many paintings.
The main object behind these doors is the burial place of Josefa Lina. A plaque on the floor
indicates where she lies, just as she had requested when she was alive—a spot where the nuns would step on her on their way to services. A rather simple tomb amid the brilliant splendor of the space.
Las Monjas contains a number of significant paintings, and I will speak of each of them in the next article. But I would like to mention something of interest, a present day remnant of ancient times. Along the same wall where the statue of Martin de Porres is found, you will note an unimposing wooden door.
I was told that if I wanted to speak to the Mother Superior, I should call one of the nuns. I had several questions about the location of certain paintings, and to ask permission to enter the back area where Josefa Lina lies buried. I stepped through the doors and found a half wall with another door before me. Above was a rope running along the top of the half wall, and like Alice in Wonderland, I went ahead and pulled it not quite sure what it would get me. A bell tinkled in the distance. I waited a bit and pulled on the rope again. Once more the bell chimed and then the door opened and a little nun peeked through. I say “little,” because I am small myself, but she was smaller. She had a pleasant smile, and after greeting her, I made my request. The result was a visit with Mother Superior, but that is part of another story. All I wanted to highlight today is that ancient bell and the old-style rope that makes it ring somewhere inside the nuns’ quarters.
In the next article I will speak about some of the artwork that is found in Las Monjas. There are several paintings that are worth consideration, and the attached convent has an amazing history and artistic riches.
Comments