Cuernavaca Cathedral

The Cuernavaca Cathedral is a former monastery complex located in the city of Cuernavaca, Mexico and the current seat of the bishopric that covers the state of Morelos. The cathedral began as one of the early 16th century monasteries in the vicinity of the Popocatepetl volcano, built initially for evangelization efforts of indigenous people after the Spanish conquest of the Aztec Empire. By the 18th century, the main church of the monastery began to function as the parish church of the city and in the late 19th century, it was made a cathedral. Unlike many cathedrals in Mexico, this one does not face the city’s main square, but rather is located just to the south, in its own walled compound, which it shares with a number of other structures. Unlike the other monastery structures from its time, the importance of this church provoked a number of renovation projects, the last of which occurred in 1957. This one took out the remaining older decorations of the interior and replaced them with simple modern ones. This renovation work also uncovered a 17th century mural that covers 400 m² of the interior walls and narrates the story of Philip of Jesus and twenty three other missionaries who were crucified in Japan.