Painter's gift of love: church, Ocotlán de Morelos

[bixaorellana]

Those of you who arrived here via Ocotlán Part 2 -- The Friday Market may have been wondering why I made such a big deal out of getting to see the church.

One point of interest is that its restoration was funded and guided by native son Rodolfo Morales, a fascinating person from a town of profound interest.

But the main thing about it is that it's absolutely beautiful.
The first glimpse is astounding, with all that Wedgwood blue and white brilliantly superimposed against the sky, and the marvels increase as you approach.











You can see part of the narthex screen in that last picture. Let's take a closer look:

[bixaorellana]

Let's go around the screen to see what's inside ~













Isn't this wonderfully outrageous, with its op-art curtains and strange proportions?
Click for hugely enlarged details --->

Entrance to that chapel:


The narthex screen is even more beautiful from the inside ~


You can see in the first picture in the OP how the long approach to the church is lined with stone benches.

That long walk forms a T when it meets the open space in front of the church. That space (shown here) is also lined with benches and is open at both ends.

We can leave through one of those entrances and go directly back out to the market.

[Deleted]

Wonderful. It's a great change from the "Spanish mission style" which gets boring by the time you have seen the 3rd church... This is so much more intricate!

[fumobici]

Beautiful! The polychrome exterior is really startling to someone used to seeing unpainted sandstone and the interior decorative painting looks almost Eastern European to me whereas the narthex screen is almost oriental. All in all, wholly unexpected and captivating.

[Deleted]

I was thinking that it looked a bit Greek/Russian Orthodox myself.

[bixaorellana]

I need to get back over there since I missed so much because of time constraints on Friday. The old convent can be toured, and Maestro Morales' house is a museum. He orchestrated another church restoration I've never seen in a tiny town in the same area. I've seen pictures, and the swag over the door is identical to the one on the Ocotlán church. The smaller church is even more colorful!

You all please visit the Ocotlán market thread as well, which shows how the church and its grounds are so much a part of the town. I like how the municipal building picks up the colors of the church.
anyportinastorm.proboards.com/index.cgi?action=display&board=mexico&thread=4272&page=1#85690

[bixaorellana]

I'm embarrassed about the poor level of my videos, but you all might like to view this to get more of an impression of the church -- the elegance mixed with the naive. At @1:15 you can hear a very loud little bird's song echoing through the church.

[lagatta]

Oh, that is lovely! Now I've seen the video et al. Such a magnificent place. Yes, I did know of Rodolfo Morales.

[bixaorellana]

Yes, this church is a delightful surprise no matter how many times you visit.

[Deleted]

It seems super well maintained, better than most French churches! But I guess it gets used more, too.

[bixaorellana]

Well, you know ~~ when they renovated the church they were worried that people would come in and say, "Whoa, are we in France?!"

So they did something really clever. Put the video on full screen. At the very beginning, right after it pans away from the statue, you'll see some wiring that proves conclusively the building is in Mexico.

[Deleted]

Ah, yes, I see what you mean. Could be Egypt or Vietnam, too!