La Merced Church, Antigua, Guatemala

La Merced Church or Nuestra Señora de la Merced is a Roman Catholic Church located in Antigua, Guatemala. For its well-preserved Spanish New World Baroque architecture and number of ruined churches including La Merced Church the town of Antigua was inscribed the UNESCO World Heritage site.

Picture of La Merced Church, Antigua, Guatemala
La Merced Church was built in 1546 by Mercedarian order but the original church was destroyed twice by earthquakes in 1565 and in 1717. The present La Merced Church was built in 1767 and survived an earthquake in 1773 which destroyed much of the town. The church went through numerous repairs and rebuilding over the next two centuries, while its beautiful Baroque facade dates from the 19th century. The last repairs were made after the earthquake in 1976.

La Merced Church is dedicated to Our Lady of Mercy and it is still in use. In the center of the courtyard is a monumental fountain with four pools which were used by the Mercedarian monks for breeding fish.

Christian Churches


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