Nuestra Señora del Rosario: A Beautiful Church in Bello

Iglesia Nuestra Señora del Rosario is arguably the most beautiful church in the Medellín metropolitan area. This church is very impressive with the most beautiful interior out over 75 churches I have seen in the Medellín metro area.

Iglesia Nuestra Señora del Rosario is even reportedly considered to be a museum due to all the religious artwork found in the church. And it’s located in the municipality of Bello, which is north of Medellín in the Aburrá Valley.

The church has a decorated façade and decorated columns, walls and arches. In addition, it has a big range of artwork inside including murals, stained glass windows, carvings, paintings, sculptures, reliefs and liturgical objects.

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

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

The central nave inside Iglesia Nuestra Señora del Rosario in Bello

History of Nuestra Señora del Rosario

Iglesia Nuestra Señora del Rosario is a Roman Catholic church dedicated to the Virgin Mary under the invocation of the Rosary. This church is located at Parque Bello in Bello.

The history of the church goes back to the late nineteenth century. At this time, churchgoers in Bello used the Hato Viejo Chapel, which is also located at Parque Bello.

But the membership of the Catholic church in Bello informed the Bishop of Medellín at the time, Bernardo Herrera Restrepo, that the Hato Viejo Chapel was old and deteriorating. And it wasn’t of sufficient size to support a growing congregation.

So, the Bishop authorized building a new church in Bello. And the site chosen was at Parque Bello across the park from Hato Viejo Chapel. Plans for the church were originally designed by Jesús Mejía and Horacio Rodríguez.

Construction started in the early 20^th century with first the foundation. But construction was suspended for a variety of reasons and some repair work was done to Hato Viejo Chapel, so it could continue to be used.

It wasn’t until decades later in 1936 that priest Felix Mejia P. restarted the project to build the Nuestra Señora del Rosario church. Italian engineer and architect Albano Germanetti was hired and submitted new building plans that were accepted and building started. Igelsia Nuestra Señora del Rosario finally opened in October 1947.

Inside the beautiful church during mass

Inside Iglesia Nuestra Señora del Rosario

Inside the church you will find a beautiful interior that is white with gold trim. The materials used in the construction of the church are diverse.

On the façade are different planes covered alternately with smooth plaster and brick imitation plaster. The two lateral towers protrude over the area of the central nave, in which is a large bronze-carved door. On the eastern side, the facade is exposed brick. In the interior, the church has marble floors. And the finishes of the walls have numerous drawings and rosettes in plaster.

The bottom line is that it is very impressive inside with a tremendous number of artwork pieces and many stained-glass windows.

Stained-glass window in Iglesia Nuestra Señora del Rosario

Another stained-glass window in the church – “El Buen Pastor”

Another stained-glass window in the church – “Jesus y la Sameritana”

One of several murals on the ceiling of the church

Another of the the murals in the church

In addition, Iglesia Nuestra Señora del Rosario church has many murals, which I have found are not very common in the other churches in Medellín.

Confessionals are found along the left and right aisles

Also, the church has confessionals that are found along the right and left aisles.

Parque Bello with Iglesia Nuestra Señora del Rosario behind the big tree

Parque Bello

Iglesia Nuestra Señora del Rosario is found at Parque Bello, which is the principal park in Bello. Parque Bello is a one square block with several trees offering shade. On the north and south sides of the park are two churches: Nuestra Señora del Rosario and Hato Viejo Chapel.

In addition, there are many restaurants, small shops and bars found around the park and on the streets near the park.

Marco Fidel Suárez National Monument

A few blocks from Parque Bello you will find the National Monument and Museum to Choza Marco Fidel Suárez. Suárez rose from humble beginnings in Bello to become the president of Colombia from 1918 to 1921.  In addition, inside the monument building is a small hut, which was where Suárez was born.

In the monument building, there is also a collection of some of Suárez’s personal objects donated by his granddaughter Teresa Morales de Gómez. These include photographs, letters, manuscripts, the Presidential Band and the primer on which he learned to read. There is also a bust in honor of Rosalía Suárez, mother of the former president.

Hato Viejo Chapel in Bello

Hato Viejo Chapel

At Parque Bello, there are two churches to see. On the other side of the park from Nuestra Señora del Rosario is Hato Viejo (Old Herd) Chapel. Hato Viejo is a colonial church that was built between 1772 and 1796.

Hato Viejo Chapel was repaired while Iglesia Nuestra Señora del Rosario was being built. After Iglesia Nuestra Señora del Rosario opened in 1947, Hato Viejo Chapel was closed and began to deteriorate. And this chapel became so forgotten the building was even reportedly used as a tile factory for a while.

Inside Hato Viejo Chapel

But this started to change in 1960 when Hato Viejo Chapel was named a National Monument of Colombia. However, it wasn’t until 2006 that the National Government in Colombia, the Antioquia Government and the Municipality of Bello all contributed to the restoration of the church.

Hato Viejo Chapel reopened in 2010 and is still being used today. But this chapel isn’t open as often as the much larger Iglesia Nuestra Señora del Rosario.

The front of the right aisle in Iglesia Nuestra Señora del Rosario

How to Get to Nuestra Señora del Rosario in Bello

One way to get to Iglesia Nuestra Señora del Rosario is to take the Medellín metro line A north to the Bello metro station. And the church is located on Calle 51 next to Parque Bello, which is about a 10-minute walk from the metro station.

During the day, it is relatively safe to walk from the metro station to Parque Bello, where the church is located. This is due to many people being on the streets.

In addition, there are buses that run from the Bello metro station to Parque Bello, where the church is located. And the fare for these buses is currently only 1,900 pesos.

Also, just about any taxi driver in Medellín will know where Parque Bello is located. And it’s easy to catch a taxi or bus at Parque Bello for your return.

Iglesia Nuestra Señora del Rosario isn’t open all the time. In my experience, it’s typically open in the mornings. But no mass schedule is posted in the church. So, we recommend calling before going to make sure it is open.

Address: Calle 51 # 49-44, Bello

Phone: +57 4 275 0554

Email: pnsdrbello@une.net.co

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.

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.

The front of the left aisle in Iglesia Nuestra Señora del Rosario

The Bottom Line: Iglesia Nuestra Señora del Rosario

When my father visited Medellín earlier this year, I took him to see Iglesia Nuestra Señora del Rosario in Bello. My father was very impressed and he also said this church probably has the most beautiful interior of any church he has seen.

None of the 10 English language travel guidebooks I have about Medellín and Colombia include Iglesia Nuestra Señora del Rosario in Bello, which is a shame considering how beautiful the interior of this church is. We have been looking at several more of the beautiful churches in the Medellín, as most are missing in the travel guidebooks.

Unfortunately, in my experience, most 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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