anwar:The Basilica de la Asunción de María Santísima, also known as the Guadalajara Cathedral is a fascinating site. Its architecture contemplates diverse styles such as neoclassical, baroque, and gothic, which can be seen in its towers.It was commissioned in 1561 by King Felipe II and the cathedral was completed in 1618.In 1818, an earthquake shook the city, causing the towers and the dome to collapse. These were replaced, but the new structures were destroyed by a subsequent earthquake in 1849.The new structures were completed in 1854. Pope Pius XII elevated the cathedral to the rank of Minor Basilica. It contains altars dedicated to Our Lady of the Assumption, Our Lady of Guadalupe, Our Lady of Sorrows, Our Lady of Zapopan (patron saint of Guadalajara), Saint Dominic, St. Nicholas, St. Thomas Aquinas, St. Christopher and St. John of God. The altar is made of marble and silver. The stained glass was imported from France.
The cathedral houses the mummified body of Santa Innocencia (a young girl from the 1700s who, according to legend, was killed by her father for converting to Catholicism),[2] well as the remains of three cardinals and several other former bishops of the diocese, and Fr. Juan Jesús Posadas Ocampo, who was assassinated in 1993 at the Guadalajara International Airport.[1]
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