Templo de Santo Domingo
("Church of St Dominic")
Experience the feeling of being in what's called the Eighth Wonder of the World.
5 de Mayo and 4 Oriente

In 1571 the Dominican order began building this monastery whose structure would have two chapels with access to the atrium.

This monastery complex offers unequalled beauty, like the magnificent atrium, the stone entrance, its baroque altarpiece and the ancient porter's lodge. Inside is one of the best examples of baroque in the Americas: the Capilla del Rosario ("Chapel of Our Lady of the Rosary"). Designed during the second half of 17th century, the beauty of its decoration still provokes the same feeling today as it did among those who first saw it on April 16th 1690. The congregation of the Church of Santo Domingo decided to dedicate this exceptional chapel to one of the main objects of veneration for them and Pueblans as a whole: Our Lady of the Rosary. Once completed, this work caused such an impression that it was described as the "Eighth Wonder of the World".

It decoration in gilt plaster makes any visitor feel as though they are seeing a piece of heaven itself, due to all the light emitted. The chiaroscuro paintings that hang on its walls show scenes from the life of the Virgin Mary, which balance visually with the gold of the walls. The sheer number of decorative elements make it easy to overlook such details as the heavenly choir on the wall above the upper choir area, the water nymphs at the base of the arches in the crypt, the martyred saints around the dome, as well as the beauty of the baldachin (canopy over the altar) which has a magnificent sculpture of Our Lady of the Rosary and which is topped by a great sculpture of St Dominic.

Don't miss getting a picture of you taken in this wonderful chapel and boasting that you were in the Eighth Wonder of the World!

Also don't miss seeing the talavera angels that ring the Chapel of Our Lady of the Rosary!