Over 300 Churches Reopened in Medellín and the Aburrá Valley

On September 1, over 300 churches reopened in Medellín with biosafety protocols in place that limit 50 people to enter a church and require face masks.

On August 31, over 6,000 restaurants reopened in Medellín with table service. And on September 1, churches and gyms reopened in Medellín. This is part of Medellín’s plans for the total reopening of economic activities in Medellín over a period of four months.

Over 300 Catholic churches reopened in Medellín on September 1. In a few of the municipalities in the Aburrá Valley, churches are opening a bit later. For example in Sabaneta, Iglesia de Santa Ana opens on Thursday, September 3.

Also, there are two mosques in Medellín that reportedly are open but only on Fridays at noon until the third week of September. Christian churches are closed but plan to open next week.

For the church re-openings, only 50 people will be allowed to enter each church including church staff, who must comply with biosafety protocols.

Nazareno in Medellín, photo by SajoR

Biosafety Protocols for Churches

• A physical distance of 6.5 feet (​​2 meters) must be maintained between people
• Cannot exceed more than 50 people in a church, including the priest, ministers and support staff
• Mandatory use of face masks
• Temperature will be taken and disinfectant used
• Do not go to church if you are sick or have symptoms associated with Covid-19

Also, in each church there is a demarcation that shows the parishioners where they should be located to maintain a distance of 6.5 feet (​​2 meters) when receiving communion.

In addition, the pews also have markings that show where the people should be seated. Furthermore, those over 70 years old and minors can go to the churches.

Catedral Basílica Metropolitana, the largest church in Medellín

Churches in Medellín and the Aburrá Valley

Medellín and the Aburrá Valley area has many beautiful Catholic churches. We previously looked at the top 14 churches in Medellín and the Aburrá Valley, which are worth seeing. We also provided a recommended itinerary to see the top churches.

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.

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.

Iglesia Nuestra Señora del Rosario in Bello

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.

Hato Viejo Chapel in Bello

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.

Iglesia Nuestra Señora del Perpetuo Socorro in Medellín

The Bottom Line: Churches Reopened in Medellín and the Aburrá Valley

Hundred of churches have been closed in Medellín and the Aburrá valley for over five months due to the coronavirus pandemic. As a result of churches being closed, the Catholic church in Colombia reportedly was near bankruptcy.

But now the churches have reopened. So, more and more things are starting to return to some normalcy in Medellín.

We covered the beautiful churches in the Medellín metro area in a comprehensive series about churches in Medellín and the Aburrá Valley 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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