Puebla Cathedral

Puebla Cathedral
Puebla Cathedral
General information
Architectural style	church
Town or city	Puebla
Country	Mexico
Construction started	1575
Completed	1690
Design and construction
Architect	Francisco Becerra

Puebla Cathedral is a Roman Catholic church in the city of Puebla, in Puebla, Mexico. It is a colonial cathedral, and is the see of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Puebla de los Angeles. The cathedral's bishop is Víctor Sánchez Espinosa. The cathedral is dedicated to the Immaculate Conception.

On January 24, 1557 Viceroy Martín Enríquez (1562–80) authorized construction. The design was submitted to the Dean and Cathedral Chapter on November 11, 1557. Construction began in November 1575, under the direction of architect Francisco Becerra and Juan de Cigorondo. Construction was interrupted in 1626 but in 1634 Juan Gómez de Trasmonte modified the design and construction began again in 1640 when Bishop Juan de Palafox y Mendoza arrived with the appointment of visitor-general of New Spain and bishop of Puebla. The cathedral was in bad shape when Palafox arrived in 1640, the building not yet completed and unconsecrated. When Palafox lost his struggle with the Jesuits and viceroy Salvatierra, he was appointed bishop to a minor diocese in Spain, but before he left New Spain in 1649 he devoted considerable energy to completing the cathedral and its consecration. The renovation over nine years had cost 350,000 pesos, engaged 1,500 workers under the supervision of an Aragonese Pedro García Ferrer. The ceremony of consecration was set for April 18, 1649, and for Palafox was not only the culmination of the massive building project, but also his grand farewell to his diocese. The Cathedral was consecrated to the Virgin Mary in a huge and emotional ceremony, with civil and religious participants, the reburial of the remains of previous prelates, brilliant musical performances, and a sermon by Palafox himself in his final farewell to his flock. It was not entirely completed until 1690. The front façade was built out of a black limestone, and it has two towers, the tallest in Mexico, one of which has no bells. According to legend, an underground river passes under that tower and if bells were placed in it, the tower would collapse.