Merced Church

La Merced Church

Allen

The Mercedarian order was established in Guatemala in 1538, and the order had built a church in Antigua by 1546. This church was destroyed by earthquakes in 1565, but subsequently rebuilt, only to be ruined again in the earthquakes of 1717. The present church of La Merced was finished in 1767, just six years before the Santa Marta quakes that led to the abandonment of Antigua as the capital. The façade is one of the most beautiful in Antigua, featuring intricate and ornate patterns in white stucco on a yellow background. The church is also a good example of the "earthquake baroque" architectural style popular by necessity in Central America: short squatty bell towers, in contrast to the soaring towers of the churches built in seismically less active Mexico during the same epoch. Although somewhat damaged in 1773, the church was repaired and remains in service today, but the original gilded altars and other fine furnishings were removed to the new Mercedarian church in Guatemala City when the order moved to the new capital.

Today Mercedarian church is popular a among tourists and locals alike. It sits at the end of Fifth Avenue Norte, the main shopping street in Antigua. The masses seem to be well attended. The small park on the south side of the of the church many locals enjoy the afternoon sun from this park.