Convent San Bernardino

The church and former Convent of San Bernardino de Valladolid, is one of the oldest colonial complex and important the state of Yucatan. It features the very temple of San Bernardino, Guadalupe Chapel, the Chapel of the Holy Sepulchre, the chapel of San Antonio de Padua, the open chapel, former convent and orchard. It is known that the group was founded around 1552, and from that moment on began construction of the church and cloister. According to the stone on the facade of the church, it is believed that it was completed first, and around 1613 the convent.

It was the first home of the Franciscan Order in the city of Valladolid, the Convent of San Bernardino de Siena closely guarded (for more than four centuries) between the walls of the temple of the parish a few vestiges of the forms used by pioneers of evangelization friars to "convert" the Yucatec Maya descendants. In their cells was imprisoned the famous pirate "Lorencillos".

The façade stands the goal with arches and side two chapels, the main entrance to the temple is arch and above it, there is a window and a shield coral Franciscan top the sober facade two cattails.

Inside, the most interesting is its main altarpiece painted wood with gold, and some niches with sculptures, all decorated with floral motifs, Baroque.

The cloister is on two levels, in the hallway of the ground floor is an old waterwheel other giving on the mouth of a cenote. In this convent, Fray Bernardino de Valladolid started one of the first Mexican scientific works, the "Books Botanical" with Castilian and Latin names, drawings and explanation of the healing, domestic and industrial uses of each plant.

In a camera can admire what remains of a large number of hand painted murals, depicting a procession of saints who had to cover all the walls. Only three of them can be seen that are diluted by moisture.

On the front door is the chorus of masonry on the vault as the nave, supported by arch. To raise it, you have to take the stairs in ruins of the former convent, the cloisters go higher and reach a piece that served as forechoir. Its floor like the church, is concrete.

At the ends of the portal are small chapels, Guadalupe and San Diego de Alcala and the Entombment. The first is covered with vault and floor is concrete. On the altar that is at the bottom, there is an image of the Virgin of Guadalupe, whole-class, made in Guatemala. The second largest was before, because it shows on the outside that construction continued. Today, being rebuilt was covered with wood, and instead of the old image of San Diego, oil painting and now defunct, is seen in the background of a sarcophagus niche with the image of the crucified, so he named the Entombment.

Despite the sad neglect is especially the former convent, there is still much left. Its thick walls have lost the flattened and cracks opened up by the roots of trees, but many of them still hold the heavy vaults or beamed ceilings. The church, due to regular worship and responsible care of it, is in better condition.

Additional

The constructive genius of the Franciscans and sometimes superhuman effort of disciplined and Indians, this monumental rock covered in more than one hundred square meters with fertile land, the story says, "in some parts went from 2 yards thick" and that orchard, could fit in dire stages, caused by the indomitable Indians, who never bowed to the might of the hosts of Montejo's Nephew, up to two thousand soldiers with their horses.

Hence the Convent and almost all the convents of Yucatan were lifted with the dual purpose of the friars and shelter as a fortress against the endless battles of the Maya.

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