The cult of the Our Lady of the Rosary was promoted by the Dominican Order, who dedicated in each of their convents a chapel to their devotion. In Mexico it was no exception when the first religious of the order arrived in 1526, but it was not until the year of 1531 when they began the construction of their first important church in Puebla, which is also dedicated to the Archangel Michael however the Chapel of the Rosario was conceived until 1650 and completed and consecrated on 16 April 1690. It was the first in Mexico dedicated to the Our Lady of the Rosary. Its construction served a double purpose: to worship the Virgin and teach the faithful the prayer of the Holy Rosary. It was conceived by the Dominican Friar Juan de Cuenca, who in 1650 began its construction, but given the magnitude of the work, until 1690 it was completed by two other Dominicans Friar Agustín Hernández and Friar Diego de Gorozpe, who they dedicated the distinguished bishop of the Puebla of the Council of His MajestyManuel Fernández de Santa Cruz, and celebrating its consecration on April 16, 1690, to coincide with the date on which the City of Puebla de los Ángeles was founded. The celebration lasted 8 days, pronouncing in each of them a sermon, processions, masses and events turning it into a great stage of joy. The determined impulse to the teaching of the Holy Rosary and the favorite devotion to the Virgin of Our Lady of the Rosary, which was given to them in the 17th century, explains the complexity of the great work, which as soon as it was finished and qualified as the Eighth Wonder of the World. In 1971 a team of restaurateurs sponsored by the Mary Street Jenkins Foundation did a restoration work in the Chapel.
Architecture
This type of construction reflects the economic reach of the Church in those years and the ambition and sumptuousness with which its churches were planned and erected. The plan is arranged in the shape of a Latin cross, with short sections and testero. The nave is divided into three sections and its vault is barrel with lunettes in the same way as the sections of the crossing, it has a narrow dome with tholobate and on this some windows and others in the semicircular dome, whose purpose is to give illumination to the sumptuous ciprés just down. The interior of the chapel is majestic, where the architectural structures have been covered in every corner that is observed with reliefs in golden stucco, in order to exalt the religious feeling. The lateral walls of the nave are symmetrically covered by large canvases by the painter José Rodríguez Carnero, with themes alluding to the Joys of the Virgin, the paintings are in the Chiaroscuro style that contrast with the bright and clear adorn the crossing, by the same author. The lower part of the paintings is adorned with a lambrin of azulejos from Talavera pottery. On the crossing there are other paintings with themes related also to the life of the Virgin, as well as another large one that crowns the apse of the chapel and is dedicated to the Glorification and Triumph of the Rosary. The reliefs that cover the walls, pilasters and vaults have motifs not only of the plant, animal or angelic order but also of the symbolic-religious order. The Chapel is decorated with overgildedyeseria, prepared with a base of flour with egg white and water and covered with 24 caratgold leaves, like many Baroque decorations of the Pueblan capital. On the altar stands the throne of the Virgin, with a baldachin carved by the Spanish master Lucas Pinto.
Portal
The access portal is in the left crossing of the church, and its austere Baroque design contrasts with the wealth of the interior. It has a cushioned rounded arches, as well as the decorated and the jambs, slightly trumpet-shaped and framed by tuscan pilasters and corinthian columns. Finish the arch something similar to a balcony with a window between pilasters.
Interior
The chapel is characterized by being of Latin cross plan with short sections and testeros. It is a dazzling example of the 17th century New Spanish Baroque style, and a stage for faith and fantasy, where each element has a precise meaning. In the vault the representations of the three theological virtues are immersed in the foliage: Faith, Hope and Charity. We find sixty angels placed around the circumference that forms the dome and the main vault, each in a different expression, some are only heads and/or others are full-body images. A detail to highlight is that in the area dedicated to the choir and the organ, we find angels that seem to be playing musical instruments and singing songs.
Dome
' In the dome, the Divine Grace carries in its hands the palm leaf that symbolizes martyrdom and the laurel branch victory. The Grace, without which there is no valid virtue, represents the origin of everything divine on earth; it is accompanied with the gifts of the Holy Spirit:
' Wisdom', qualities represented by women who show one of their bare legs. Through this symbology one learns that having faith, hope and charity, being in grace and receiving the essential gifts, one can reach the supreme wisdom, represented by the dove of the Holy Spirit, which in the dome is shown wrapped between clouds and rays.
On the sides of the nave six large canvases by the painter José Rodríguez Carnero are displayed, which allude to the Joys of the Virgin: the Assumption, the Visitation and the Birth. In front of them on the left side of the nave: the Adoration, the presentation in the Temple and Jesus among the doctors, scenes that represent the key moments in the human and earthly life of Mary. The lower part of the walls is covered with a superb lambrin of Talavera pottery azulejos, in whose upper strip protruding heads of cherubim alternated with the Dominican coat of arms.
In it is a huge painting dedicated to the Glorification and Triumph of the Rosary, in which you can see the Virgin crowned with roses. Together with the paintings of the crossing, it constitutes a descriptive triptych of the celestial life of Mary, who after climbing to the Heavens and being crowned appears on earth to distribute the Rosary.
Altar
This place is reminiscent of the interrelation between religious architecture and its symbolisms: the square that forms on the crossing represents the earth, the octagonal base of the dome recreates the rebirth after death, and its perfect curvature represents the Celestial Vault, paradise symbol.
Ciprés
The ciprés under the drum dome that protects the Our Lady of the Rosary is made up of twelve Corinthian columns at the base made of marble from Tecali de Herrera, representing the apostles. In the first body some Dominican saints are appreciated, and in the second twelve beautiful solomonic columns covered with roses and lilies that frame Saint Dominic. The saints embedded in the roof niches hold flower clusters, four decorative ribs are embraced by plants and are arranged in the form of a vine. Also, there are mouldings with high reliefs of plants typical of the region, as if it were intended to remind us of the fertility and benefits of this land. There is even a small one that iconically represents the king star. In the top on the roof lantern, is Archangel Gabriel, a figure that tops this great Baroque work signed by Lucas Pinto.
Chorus
You can see here a relief in which there is a group of children with musical instruments, accompanied by angels and under the direction of God the Father.
