Iglesia el Calvario, also known as Parroquia el Calvario, is a notable and historic Roman Catholic church located in the Aranjuez comuna in Medellín, which is worth seeing if you like old churches.
Also, Iglesia el Calvario is a sizable Romanesque-style church that has several beautiful stained-glass windows and many pieces of religious artwork that make it worth visiting.
In addition, we included Iglesia el Calvario in our list of the top 14 churches in Medellín and the Aburrá Valley.
The central nave inside Iglesia el Calvario
History of Iglesia el Calvario
Historically the barrio of Campo Valdes in the Aranjuez comuna in Medellín only had a small provisional chapel until October 1933, when agreement was reached with the parish priest of Iglesia Veracruz to build a new church in Campo Valdes.
The archdiocese of Medellin decided that the Campo Valdes neighborhood needed a church. Campo Valdes was considered a somewhat violent neighborhood and it was felt that the church would provide some spiritual help.
Land was donated for building the church and Carlos Peláez reportedly donated the initial funds for building the church. The original design of the church had two towers. But once they started construction it was determined that the land wouldn’t support the weight of two towers. So, the design was revised to a single tower that made the church weigh less.
Iglesia el Carlvario is a Romanesque-style church. It’s a large brick church and is one of the larger churches in Medellín. The only brick churches in Medellín that I have seen that are larger than Iglesia el Carlvario are Catedral Basília Metroplitana in El Centro and Iglesia San Joaquín in Laureles-Estadio.
On the front of Iglesia el Carlvario is an undated plaque celebrating 75 years for Iglesia el Carlvario. So, the church opened over 75 years ago.
The left nave in Iglesia el Calvario
The right nave in The left nave in Iglesia el Calvario
Inside Iglesia el Calvario
Inside the church you will find a beautiful brick interior with some brown and wood trim. And the church has wooden pews.
In addition, the church has several beautiful stained-glass windows but they are relatively small considering the size of the large church.
One of the stained-glass windows in the church
Another of the stained-glass windows in Iglesia el Calvario
Furthermore, there are many pieces of religious artwork to be found throughout this church.
Examples of religious artwork in the church
Artwork in the church
Another example of religious artwork
Another of the many pieces of religious artwork
Additional religious artwork in the church
And like many other churches in the city, Iglesia el Calvario has confessionals on both the right and left sides.
One of the confessionals in the church
How to Get to Iglesia el Calvario
The easiest way to get to Iglesia el Calvario in Aranjuez is via the metro. To get there you would take the Medellín Metro Line A to the Universidad metro station.
Universidad Metro Station
Iglesia el Calvario is located a short minimum fare (5,500 peso) taxi ride from this metro station. It’s located up a hill from the popular Jardín Botanico botanical gardens. This is a steep hill, so I wouldn’t recommend walking.
In addition, some taxi drivers in Medellín will know where Iglesia el Calvario is located. If not, give the driver the address below.
Address: Carrera 48A # 77-04, barrio Campo Valdes #1 in the Aranjuez comuna
Phone: +57 4 212 0130
Email: parroquiaelcalvariomedellin@hotmail.com
Hours: Hours aren’t posted in the church but I asked and they said it is normally open in the early morning for mass between about 6 and 9 am and then again in the early evening from about 5 to 8 pm. But we recommend calling to make sure the church will be open when you go.
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:
- Catedral Basílica Metropolitana – the main church of the Archdiocese of Medellín and the largest church in the city.
- Iglesia de La Candelaria – the oldest church in Medellín, which is also a National Monument of Colombia.
- 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.
- Iglesia Jesús Nazareno – another of the most beautiful churches in Medellín.
- Iglesia Nuestra Señora del Perpetuo Socorro – a beautiful Gothic-style church in Medellín.
- Iglesia del Sagrado Corazón de Jesús – a neo-Gothic-style church located in Barrio Triste in Medellín.
- Iglesia de San José – a Boroque-style church located in El Centro, Medellín.
- Iglesia del Señor de las Misericordias – a neo-Gothic-style church located in the Manrique neighborhood of Medellín.
- Iglesia San José – a Romanesque-style church located next to Parque Poblado in El Poblado.
- 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.
- Iglesia de San Ignacio – a beautiful church in El Centro with a Baroque-style exterior and colonial interior.
- Iglesia de Nuestra Señora – a Roman-style church located next to Parque Belén in Medellín.
- Iglesia el Calvario – a Romanesque-style church in the Aranjuez comuna in Medellín.
- Iglesia de Nuestra Señora del Sufragio – a neo-Romanesque-style church in the Boston barrio in Medellín.
- 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.
- Iglesia de Nuestra Señora de los Dolores – a Neo-Byzantine-style church in the La América comuna in Medellín.
- Iglesia de Nuestra Señora del Sagrado Corazón – a beautiful Neo-Gothic-style church in the Buenos Aires comuna in Medellín.
- Iglesia de Cristo Rey – a beautiful church in the Guayabal comuna of Medellín with many beautiful stained-glass windows.
- 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.
- 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.
- Iglesia de El Niño Jesús de Praga – a beautiful church in the Villa Hermosa comuna in Medellín.
- 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:
- Iglesia de Santa Gertrudis – a beautiful church in Envigado located next to Parque Envigado.
- Iglesia Nuestra Señora del Rosario – a church located in Bello that is arguably the most beautiful church in the Aburrá Valley
- Iglesia de Santa Ana – a very popular church in Sabaneta located next to Parque Sabaneta.
- Iglesia de Nuestra Señora del Rosario – a historic church in Itagüí near Medellín with a history that traces back to 1743.
- Nuestra Señora Chiquinquirá – a beautiful church in La Estrella with a Neo-Gothic-style.
- 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.
- 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.
- Catedral de Nuestra Señora del Rosario – a Neo-Romanesque-style church located in the Girardota municipality northeast of Medellín.
- 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:
- 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.
- 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 main altar in Iglesia el Calvario
The Bottom Line: Iglesia el Calvario
Iglesia el Calvario 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 sizable church if you like historic churches with stained-glass windows.
Several of the most notable and beautiful churches in Medellín are located in El Centro but we are also looking at notable and historic churches in other neighborhoods in the Medellín metropolitan area.
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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