Church of San Cristóbal Puebla de Zaragoza

Описание: The Church of San Cristóbal is a Catholic church belonging to the ecclesiastical jurisdiction of the Archdiocese of Puebla de los Ángeles, dedicated to the Immaculate Conception. Its exuberant decoration of walls, vaults, and dome, featuring plasterwork, represents the precursor to the Chapel of the Rosary. The towers of the Church of San Cristóbal, destroyed during the siege of the city in 1856, were rebuilt almost a century later (between 1951 and 1958) under the supervision of engineer Felipe Spota Marchesa and by sculptor Jesús Corro Soriano. Due to their recent construction, they have since been called the "girl towers."

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The Church of San Cristóbal was originally conceived in 1604 to provide spiritual services to the hospital and foundling home located next to it. This hospital was founded by Don Cristóbal de Rivera, parish priest of Tlacotepec, and his sister María, who dedicated considerable funds to its establishment. The story goes that the reason for its founding was that "one night, while going to bed, he saw some dogs eating a child." The hospital was named San Cristóbal not after the saint, but after its founder, Don Cristóbal. Nevertheless, there is an image of this saint carrying the Christ Child in its atrium.
Initially, it was just a chapel until 1666 or 1676, when construction began. The building was designed by the architect Carlos García Durango and financed by Francisco Guadalajara and the chief constable of Puebla, Alonso Raboso, who died of the plague in 1680. The church was consecrated and dedicated with great solemnity on December 8, 1687, the Feast of the Immaculate Conception, by Bishop Manuel Fernández de Santa Cruz, who also ordered the reconstruction of the house and the hospital of San Cristóbal.
According to Veytia, the temple was consecrated to the Immaculate Conception of the Virgin Mary, and it is to this devotion that the Latin inscription found on the keystone of the portal's arch refers, on an oval tombstone. It reads: "Conceptiotva dei genitrix Virgo gavdivm Annvnciavit Vniverso Mvundo Ex Te Enim Ortvs" (est sol iustitiae, Christus Deus noster), which translates to: "Your conception, Mother of God, brought joy to the whole world. For from you was born (the sun of justice, Christ our God)." The inscription is incomplete.

History of the Foundling Hospital
The hospital was named San Cristóbal in honor of its founder. Its purpose was to receive foundling or orphaned children so that charitable people could adopt them. On Holy Thursday, the children were displayed to the public so they could see the cleanliness and hygiene with which they were treated. The institution was run by a rector, usually a priest, and a matron as headmistress, who oversaw the nurses or "chichihuas" (from the Latin "chichi," meaning "to suckle"). From the mid-19th century, the institution was run by the Daughters of Charity of Saint Vincent de Paul, who established the foundling home. These same sisters were in charge of Saint Peter's Hospital and Saint Vincent de Paul School, but were expelled in 1875 due to a conflict between them and the government. However, it continued to serve as an orphanage until October 1, 1921, when the Hospice took over the children's care.

Architecture
Its floor plan is in the shape of a Latin cross, beginning with a choir at the entrance and culminating in a flat apse. The nave is covered by five groin vaults with rectangular openings and a hemispherical dome at the crossing, adorned with yellow and blue tiles. This dome rests on an octagonal drum, which is crowned by a richly decorated, equally octagonal lantern.
Due to its architectural and decorative originality, the Church of San Cristóbal marked a milestone in the development of New Spanish art, serving as a model for the subsequent decoration of many other churches erected in the Puebla and Tlaxcala region. It undoubtedly influenced those who designed the magnificent Chapel of the Rosary, which was consecrated three years later.

Façade
Its splendid gray basalt portal is profusely decorated with fine reliefs. The doorway is framed by two pairs of robust Corinthian columns with undulating fluting. Its marble relief depicting Saint John writing the Book of Revelation is particularly noteworthy. The side portal is distinguished by its columns, arch, and beautifully ornamented frieze. Its towers were destroyed by bombing in 1853 but were rebuilt in 1957, becoming known locally as the "girl towers" because they were the youngest in Puebla.