Metropolitan Cathedral of the Holy Savior
Photos from 2011
Metropolitan Cathedral of the Holy Savior
The Metropolitan Cathedral of the Holy Savior (Catedral Metropolitana de San Salvador) is the principal church of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of San Salvador and the seat of the Archbishop of San Salvador. The church was twice visited by Pope John Paul II who said that the cathedral was "intimately allied with the joys and hopes of the Salvadoran people." During his visits in 1983 and 1996, the Pope knelt and prayed before the Tomb of Archbishop Óscar Romero, assassinated in 1980, whose tomb here is a major pilgrim draw. President Barack Obama visited the Cathedral and the tomb during his March 2011 trip to Latin America.
The Cathedral site is the place where the old Temple of Santo Domingo (St.
Dominic) once stood. An even greater toll was exacted on Palm Sunday, March 31,
1980, during the funeral of Archbishop Romero, when 44 people were killed during
a stampede after some elements, allegedly members of security forces (although
it has never been corroborated) fired on mourners/worshippers and on Romero's
funeral cortege, the real gunmen were never identified. Later, the square in
front of the Cathedral was the site of rapturous celebrations after the signing
of the Chapultepec Peace Accords that ended the Salvadoran Civil War in 1992.
The Cathedral was completed and inaugurated on March 19, 1999 and finished off
with a festive tiled facade by the Salvadoran master Fernando Llort.
The festive and colorful facade borders a shrine to an image of the Divine
Saviour of the World (Jesus, after the Transfiguration, the patron saint of El
Salvador) sculpted by Friar Francisco Silvestre García in 1777. The main altar
features an image of the Divine Saviour donated by the Holy Roman Emperor
Charles V in 1546. The image rests on a four-column baldacchino surrounded by
images of the prophets Moses and Elijah, who take part in the Transfiguration
story. The main altar is surrounded by eight great paintings showing scenes from
the life of Christ painted by Andrés García Ibáñez. Above it all, the bright
Churriguresque cupula stands 148 feet in height, with a 79 foot radius.
Text from Wikipedia
Tomb of Archbishop Óscar Romero
Archbishop Óscar Romero
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this work of Art was purposely destroyed starting on December 26, 2011
"For him, Fernando Llort, it was the most important work of his life, these are the words of his mouth", says María Jose, daughter of the Salvadoran artist.
The sentence comes after the destruction of painter mosaic which decorated the façade of Metropolitan Cathedral of San Salvador, since 1997.
According to unofficial sources, the Church replaced with an image of the Saviour of the World, stating that aesthetics was the decision.
"If they had notified the Foundation Fernando Llort we could have removed and preserved it," says the artist's daughter.
He added that it requested the Secretariat of Culture is respected the work of national artist, and the need to establish precedent.
Juan Pablo Llort, the artist's son, came to the Catholic church to ascertain the damage to the mosaics made by his father. He regretted, again, the decision.
In his letter of August 2011 was a statement by Astrid Bahamonde, director SECULTURA National Arts, that the mural is recognized as a national heritage.
Juan Pablo Llort, the artist's son, picked up what little remained of the mosaic of his father. (Photo Jaime Anaya)
