Santo Domingo, Oaxaca, Mexico

I have never seen Mexico. I always imagine it bakingly hot. It is a record-breaking heatwave here in August 2022 around London so discovering this great church sort of fits. Books, web sites and above all ,Youtube videos have almost taken me there. With its regional Museum in the old restored Dominican convent and possibly the finest Baroque church interior in the country it is a privilege and delight to write about it. 

The Dominicans arrived in Oaxaca around 1530. At first their quarters will have been very simple but between 1575 and 1600 a large cruciform church was built. Alas, this is earthquake country and serious damage was done in 1603 so it was not until 1610 that they moved into the church. The adjoining convent expanded and became one of the largest in Mexico. By 1650 it acted as a college for theology, philosophy, a retreat centre for preachers, as well as a hospital and pharmacy. The decoration of the church was completed in 1666.  In 1731 Fr. Dionisio Levanto funded the Rosario Chapel, which was added to the right of the main facade. It is a Baroque gem. 

The nineteenth century was a terrible time for the church and convent. Various armies occupied the site from 1812 and the Mexican War of Independence. The War of Reform 1858-61 to get rid of Emperor Maximilian was a disastrous time. Much damage was done (reminding me of the senseless and ignorant destruction and vandalism of Cromwellian troops in our Civil War). From 1866-1902 the site was no longer owned or used by the church. Only in 1902 was it returned to the Church and the monastic convent eventually became a museum.  The site has had  to withstand sieges, featuring artillery stored on the roof, and earthquakes. It is a wonder that it has survived : in fact a tribute to the thickness of the walls and butressing.  I deduce that building went on for over a century from the late 16th century with major additions like the Rosario Chapel and update of  the monastic quarters. It is said that it was begun with 2.5 pesos  and ended up costing 12 million! It is one of the biggest monastic complexes in Mexico. Originally the large open space in front would have been used as an open chapel with processions, and baptisms at the corner posas.

The exterior of the church was influenced by the Dominican Church in Mexico City and  St Esteban in Salamanca, and the towers recall the Giralda in Seville. The architect was Francisco Marin. The west front is Plateresque. This style resembles the work of  a silversmith rather than an architect. Perhaps Plateresque is a transitional style linking Renaissance to Baroque. I don't want to get bogged down  in definitions and this church, like many in Mexico, has hallmarks of various styles. The large towers protrude each side framing the tall retablo facade. The sculpture on the facade depicts the Roman martyr St Hippolytus donating the church to St Dominic.

The interior has a single nave with barrel vault with Gothic style arches and a square apse. There are 8 side chapels - 4 each side. There was a stunning mid 17th century retable with 4 tiers. This was destroyed  in the 19th century, but has been replaced  in the 1950s by a  private donor. It has been based on the contemporary one in the Dominican Church at Yanhuitlan which was also by Francisco Marin. Upon entering the church the under side of the balcony has a striking image of a great family tree of Santo Domingo with golden branches, leaves and crowned figures, based on a Jesse tree. 

 Everywhere - walls, vaults, niches, domes there seems to be Horror vacui (fear of open space). This was a characteristic of  earlier work in Puebla. Perhaps artisans from Puebla brought this practice  to Oaxaca. It should be noted that Horror vacui is not restricted to Mexico and is characteristic also of Andalusia in Spain, Southwest Asia, and North Africa. Everyweher is decorated with circles, ovals, and medallions with biblical characters, polychrome platerwork and gold plated reliefs.

The Rosary is a central part of Dominican prayer life. Their tradition says it was first given to St Dominic in a vision  in the early 13th century. This is shown in a relief over the portal of the Baroque Rosary Chapel. By the mid 15th century there were Rosary Confraternities and by mid 16th century Pope Sixtus V had codified the ritual. The finance for the chapel came  from the cochineal trade centred on Oaxaca, which  produced a red dye derived from these insects attracted to the local cacti.. This chapel was one of the most sumptuous of all Mexican Baroque interiors : it had a solid silver altar rail. The whole interior is covered with saints and figures right into the dome which rests on an octagonal drum where the Virgin holds court. Much of the original was lost in the 1860s but restoration has recaptured the original splendour.

The amazing dome in the Rosario chapel

The convent was occupied by the Army from 1860-1994. In 1972 the Regional Museum of Oaxaca had been founded  and after the Army moved out in 1994 over the next four years the whole convent was restored from both public and private funds. 

There is a monumental late Gothic style 2 layer main cloister with fountain and other cloisters. A botanic garden has been set up; the Fray Francisco de Burgoa library plus important ancient artifacts from local archaeological sites. There is a monumental staircase reminiscent of an Austrian abbey (e.g.Gottweig). This must be an extraordinary place to visit!

Finally here is a lovely 7 minute video introducing this wonderful building : probably the nearest i shall get to it. I love this building!