Iglesia de la Veracruz: A Historic Church in Medellín

Iglesia de la Veracruz is a notable and historic Roman Catholic church located in Medellín, which is worth seeing if you like old churches. Furthermore, this Catholic church has many pieces of religious artwork.

Iglesia de la Veracruz is one of the oldest churches in Medellín, as it dates back originally to 1682. This colonial church located in El Centro could potentially be added to our recommended tourist itinerary for a day in Medellín while visiting the nearby Plaza Botero and Museo de Antioquia.

In addition, we included Iglesia de la Veracruz in our list of the top 14 churches in Medellín and the Aburrá Valley.

Inside Iglesia de la Veracruz

History of Iglesia de la Veracruz

In 1682, Captain Juan Céspedes de Hinestroza, reportedly began the construction of the Hermitage de la Veracruz on land purchased from Luis Acevedo Rides. The church was completed in 1712, thanks to the help of a group of European immigrants. The church was later renamed as Hermitage of the Veracruz de los Forasteros. And it served as a cemetery for foreigners as well as a place to celebrate mass.

In early 1791, the church was approaching ruin with a threat of collapse. So, it was demolished. And in December 1791, rebuilding of a replacement church started. The new church opened on November 30, 1803.

Finally, blessing of the present Iglesia de la Veracruz took place on March 25, 1809. The church has reportedly been operating as a Roman Catholic church of worship since 1809.

Iglesia de la Veracruz was declared a cultural heritage of Colombia on March 12, 1982. And since that time the white front of the church was restored by the Ferrocarril de Antioquia Foundation.

The main altar in Iglesia de la Veracruz

Zoom in to see some of the artwork on the main altar

Inside Iglesia de la Veracruz

Inside the church you will find a beautiful interior that is white with some gold trim. And the church has wooden pews.

One of many pieces of religious artwork in the church

Additional religious artwork

Other pieces of religious artwork

Additional religious artwork pieces in Iglesia de la Veracruz

Another piece of religious artwork

There are many pieces of religious artwork to be found throughout this church.

Confessional in the church

Like many other churches in the city, Iglesia de la Veracruz has confessionals on both the right and left sides.

Organ in Iglesia de la Veracruz

In addition, the church has an organ located on the second floor.

How to Get to Iglesia de la Veracruz

Iglesia de la Veracruz is conveniently located near to the Parque Berrio metro station on Line A. The church is located about a block and half west along Calle 51 from the Parque Berrio metro station.  In addition, Iglesia de la Veracruz is located only about two blocks from Iglesia de La Candelaria, which is located at Parque Berrio.

Using taxis is an alternative way to get there. You can ask any taxi driver to take you to “Iglesia de Veracruz en el Centro”. Pretty much every driver in the city will know where it is. If not, ask the driver to take you to Museo de Antioquia, which is located only two blocks away.

And it is normally relatively easy to catch taxis near the Parque Berrio metro station when you leave.

During the day, there will be many tourists in the area taking photos. But still take care to watch your valuables. There is normally a noticeable police presence with the popular Museo de Antioquia and Plaza Botero located nearby. So, it is relatively safe during the day. However, keep in mind that street crime is common in El Centro, particularly after dark.

In addition, we recommend not walking behind Iglesia de la Veracruz to Carrera 53, which is behind the church. This is an area that has a bad reputation for crime and prostitution.

Address: Calle 52 # 52-18, El Centro, Medellín

Phone: +57 4 512 5095

Email: laveracruz@arqmedellin.co

Hours: The doors to this church are normally open in the morning and again in the early evening, even when there is no mass. However, we recommend calling before going to make sure it is open.

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 right aisle inside Iglesia de la Veracruz

The Bottom Line: Iglesia de la Veracruz

Iglesia de la Veracruz is one of the few churches in Medellín that is found in several of the 10 English language Colombia travel guidebooks that I have.

It’s worth stopping to see this beautiful and historic colonial church, which is one of the oldest churches in the city. And it’s easy to get to since Iglesia de la Veracruz is located near the Parque Berrio metro station. You could also see Iglesia de la Candelaria, which is the oldest church in Medellín and is located only two blocks away.

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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