Catedral de Nuestra Señora del Rosario: A Beautiful Church in Girardota

Catedral de Nuestra Señora del Rosario de Girardota is a notable and historic Roman Catholic church located in the Girardota municipality northeast of Medellín, which is worth seeing if you like old and historic churches.

Catedral de Nuestra Señora del Rosario is a large brick, Neo-Romanesque-style church that has many stained-glass windows and pieces of religious artwork. And it has a history that traces back to 1890.

Also, keep in mind there are at least three other churches with the name Nuestra Señora del Rosario in the Aburrá Valley area. There is also one located in Bello, one in La Estrella and one in Itagüí. So, don’t be confused, this article is about the Cathedral Nuestra Señora del Rosario church located in Girardota.

In addition, we included Catedral de Nuestra Señora del Rosario in Girardota  in our list of the top 14 churches in Medellín and the Aburrá Valley.

Note the below photo is inside the church during a Semana Santa mass. During the Semana Santa week this church is much busier than normal with many standing room only mass sessions.

Inside Catedral de Nuestra Señora del Rosario in Girardota during Semana Santa 2018

History of Catedral de Nuestra Señora del Rosario in Girardota

The area where Girardota is located today was inhabited by the Nutabes and Yamesíes Indians who were basically engaged in agriculture. In 1620 a group of settlers came from Santa Fe de Antioquia and founded a farmhouse with the name of San Diego.

A small hamlet developed that depended on the city of Santa Fe de Antioquia (the capital of Antioquia at that time) until 1675 when it passed into the hands of the Medellín.

In 1702, a small chapel was constructed called the Vice-parroquia of the Virgin of the Rosary. This small chapel began to host a large number of pilgrims who came to worship the image of the fallen Lord in the church. So, the capacity of the small chapel was insufficient.

In 1880, the Bishop of the Diocese of Medellín at the time, Bernardo Herrera Restrepo, who was already familiar with the work of the French architect Charles Émile Carré (also known known as Carlos Carré) for the work of the Catedral Basílica Metropolitana in Medellín, commissioned him to draw up plans for a new temple in Girardota.

On March 10, 1890, work began on the new church. By 1902, the foundations had been completed and the walls were being built. By 1910, the church was sufficiently completed that it could be used. And the old and much smaller deteriorated church was abandoned.

In 1918, Bishop Manuel José Caicedo verified that the building nearly complete. So, four years later he ordered the purchase of 38 stained glass windows for the church.

At first, the church began as a parochial temple. And in 1988, it was elevated to the rank of cathedral, when Pope John Paul II created the diocese of Girardota.

In addition, this church is considered one of the main pilgrimage sites of the Aburrá Valley. Inside it is the image of the fallen Lord of Girardota. Hundreds of miracles are attributed to him and people travel there to fulfill their promises.

The central nave in Catedral de Nuestra Señora del Rosario in Girardota

Inside Catedral de Nuestra Señora del Rosario in Girardota

Inside the church you will find a beautiful brick interior with some wood trim. And the church has wooden pews like most churches in Colombia.

The church three longitudinal naves. In addition, the church has several beautiful stained-glass windows throughout the church.

Stained-glass windows in Catedral de Nuestra Señora del Rosario

Additional stained-glass windows in the church

Another of the many stained-glass windows

Another stained-glass window in the church

Furthermore, there are many pieces of religious artwork to be found throughout this church.

The main altar in the church

Some of the extensive religious artwork in the church

Additional religious artwork

Additional religious artwork

Another religious artwork piece

Another religious artwork piece

And another of the many religious artwork pieces

In addition, like many other churches in the area, Catedral de Nuestra Señora del Rosario has confessionals on both the right and left sides.

One of the confessionals in the church

Also, during Semana Santa, the church normally has some additional religious artwork and decorations.

Three of the 12 Apostles during Semana Santa 2018

Three more of the 12 Apostles during Semana Santa 2018

Additional religious artwork in the church during Semana Santa 2018

How to Get to Catedral de Nuestra Señora del Rosario in Girardota

The easiest way to get to Catedral de Nuestra Señora del Rosario is by using the Medellín Metro. To get there you would take Line A of the metro north to the last metro station of Niquía in Bello.

At the Niquía metro station there are integrated metro buses that use a Civica card and will take you directly to Girardota. And the buses stop about one block from the main park. The bus ride to Girardota is about 20 minutes and the integrated metro fare including the metro and bus is only 3,200 pesos.

Lined up metro buses to Girardota

Catedral de Nuestra Señora del Rosario is located on one side of the main park (Parque Principal) in Girardota.

An alternate way to get to the church is via a taxi from your location or from the Niquía metro station. Most taxi drivers know where Girardota is located and the church is next to Parque Principal Girardota.

And to return to Medellín, one block from the park is the small Girardota bus terminal where you can catch a metro bus back to the Niquía metro station.

The small Girardota bus terminal where you can catch a bus back to Medellín

Website: http://www.diogirardota.org.co/pages/Catedral.html

Address: Calle 7 con Carrera 15, Girardota

Phone: +57 4 289 3012

Email: parroquiagirardota@hotmail.com

Hours: Monday, Tuesday, Thursday and Friday: 9 am to noon, 2 pm to 6 pm; Saturday: 9 am to 1 pm, 2 pm to 5 pm; Sunday: 9 am to 1 pm. And during Semana Santa the church is typically open more hours with more mass sessions.

Parque Girardota

Girardota and Parque Girardota

Girardota is a separate municipality in the Aburrá Valley with a population of over 54,000. It is located directly east of Copacabana and is west of Barbosa in the valley.

Catedral de Nuestra Señora del Rosario is located at Parque Girardota, which is the principal park in the Girardota municipality.

Looking towards Catedral de Nuestra Señora del Rosario from Parque Girardota

The daily life in Girardota is typically centered around Parque Girardota, which is a one square block plaza that is filled with trees for shade. In addition, this park has several restaurants in the park. And the park is surrounded by the church on one side and several small restaurants, bars and shops on the other sides of the park.

You’ll see many families with kids in the park during the day

Furthermore, Parque Girardota is considered by locals to be a convenient place in Girardota to meet up with friends. And you will typically see many families with kids in the park during the day.

The Beautiful Churches in Medellín and the Aburrá Valley

In the metropolitan Medellín metro area (Aburrá Valley), there are over 300 Roman Catholic churches. Most notably, there is a complete list of all the churches of the Archdiocese of Medellín.

However, Catedral de Nuestra Señora del Rosario in Girardota is not considered part of the Archdiocese of Medellín. This church in Girardota is considered the episcopal headquarters of the Girardota Diocese.

We have looked at a total of 33 beautiful churches in the Medellín metro area and the Aburrá Valley in a series on this website. And 22 of the churches we have looked at in detail are in Medellín:

1. Catedral Basílica Metropolitana – the main church of the Archdiocese of Medellín and the largest church in the city.
2. Iglesia de La Candelaria – the oldest church in Medellín, which is also a National Monument of Colombia.
3. Iglesia San Antonio and Plaza San Antonio – the church with the largest dome in Medellín located next to Plaza San Antonio with four Fernando Botero sculptures.
4. Iglesia Jesús Nazareno – another of the most beautiful churches in Medellín.
5. Iglesia Nuestra Señora del Perpetuo Socorro – a beautiful Gothic-style church in Medellín.
6. Iglesia del Sagrado Corazón de Jesús – a neo-Gothic-style church located in Barrio Triste in Medellín.
7. Iglesia de San José – a Boroque-style church located in El Centro, Medellín.
8. Iglesia del Señor de las Misericordias – a neo-Gothic-style church located in the Manrique neighborhood of Medellín.
9. Iglesia San José – a Romanesque-style church located next to Parque Poblado in El Poblado.
10. Iglesia de la Veracruz – a colonial church with a history that goes back to 1682, which makes it one of the oldest churches in Medellín.
11. Iglesia de San Ignacio – a beautiful church in El Centro with a Baroque-style exterior and colonial interior.
12. Iglesia de Nuestra Señora – a Roman-style church located next to Parque Belén in Medellín.
13. Iglesia el Calvario – a Romanesque-style church in the Aranjuez comuna in Medellín.
14. Iglesia de Nuestra Señora del Sufragio – a neo-Romanesque-style church in the Boston barrio in Medellín.
15. Iglesia de San Benito – a neo-Romanesque-style church with a history that traces back to 1678, which make it one of the oldest churches in Medellín.
16. Iglesia de Nuestra Señora de los Dolores – a Neo-Byzantine-style church in the La América comuna in Medellín.
17. Iglesia de Nuestra Señora del Sagrado Corazón – a beautiful Neo-Gothic-style church in the Buenos Aires comuna in Medellín.
18. Iglesia de Cristo Rey – a beautiful church in the Guayabal comuna of Medellín with many beautiful stained-glass windows.
19. Iglesia de Nuestra Señora de los Dolores – a beautiful Neoclassical-style church in the Robledo comuna of Medellín, which is also a National Monument of Colombia.
20. Iglesia del Cementerio San Pedro – a beautiful church built in 1929 that has some of the most beautiful stained-glass windows found in the churches in Medellín.
21. Iglesia de El Niño Jesús de Praga – a beautiful church in the Villa Hermosa comuna in Medellín.
22. Iglesia San Joaquín – a beautiful church in the Laureles-Estadio comuna in Medellín that is reportedly the second largest church in Medellín.

Also, we have looked at the principal church in each of the other nine municipalities in the Aburrá Valley:

1. Iglesia de Santa Gertrudis – a beautiful church in Envigado located next to Parque Envigado.
2. Iglesia Nuestra Señora del Rosario – a church located in Bello that is arguably the most beautiful church in the Aburrá Valley
3. Iglesia de Santa Ana – a very popular church in Sabaneta located next to Parque Sabaneta.
4. Iglesia de Nuestra Señora del Rosario – a historic church in Itagüí near Medellín with a history that traces back to 1743.
5. Nuestra Señora Chiquinquirá – a beautiful church in La Estrella with a Neo-Gothic-style.
6. Catedral Nuestra Señora de las Mercedes – a Neoclassical-style church with a history that traces back to 1793 and is located in the Caldas municipality south of Medellín.
7. Iglesia de Nuestra Señora de la Asunción – a Baroque-style church with a history that traces back to 1715 and is located in the Copacabana municipality north of Medellín.
8. Catedral de Nuestra Señora del Rosario – a Neo-Romanesque-style church located in the Girardota municipality northeast of Medellín.
9. Iglesia de San Antonio de Padua – a Neo-Romanesque-style church located in the Barbosa municipality northeast of Medellín.

Also, we looked at two smaller colonial-style churches while looking in detail at two nearby larger churches:

1. Hato Viejo Chapel – a colonial-style church in Bello built between 1772 and 1796. It’s also a National Monument of Colombia. We looked at Hato Viejo Chapel while covering Nuestra Señora del Rosario.
2. Capilla de María Auxiliadora – a colonial-style church in Barbosa built between 1773 and 1776. We looked at Capilla de María Auxiliadora while covering Iglesia de San Antonio de Padua.

In addition, we looked at Las Lajas Sanctuary located in Ipiales, Colombia, which is considered the most beautiful church in Colombia. Also, it’s considered by many to be one of the most beautiful churches in the world.

Catedral de Nuestra Señora del Rosario in Girardota

The Bottom Line: Catedral de Nuestra Señora del Rosario in Girardota

Catedral de Nuestra Señora del Rosario in Girardota is not found in any of the 10 English language Colombia travel guidebooks that I have. But it’s worth stopping to see this notable and popular Roman Catholic church if you like old and historic churches.

Several of the most notable and beautiful churches in the Medellín area are located in El Centro in Medellín.

But we have also been looking at notable and beautiful churches in other neighborhoods in Medellín and other municipalities in the Aburrá Valley like Catedral de Nuestra Señora del Rosario in this article, which is located in the Girardota municipality, which is northeast of Medellín.

Seems like, in my experience, that most of the travel guidebooks in English about Colombia are missing many of the best places in the cities and pueblos in Colombia.

Consequently, we have covered the beautiful churches in the Medellín metro area in a comprehensive series on this website. Most noteworthy, we did this since a majority of the beautiful and notable churches in the city are missing from the English-language travel guidebooks about Colombia.

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