Ermita de Santa Isabel de Hungría, Hispanic baroque church in Antigua Guatemala, Guatemala.
The Ermita de Santa Isabel de Hungría is a baroque chapel in Antigua Guatemala's Santa Isabel neighbourhood. Its facade has two tiers and three vertical sections, decorated with estípite pilasters and niches, and is topped by a single espadaña bell gable with cushioned pilasters. A carved stone cross stands in front, placed there in 1673.
The chapel was under the jurisdiction of the Franciscan order until 1673, and by 1690 about 210 indigenous parishioners attended it. Its dedication to Saint Elizabeth of Hungary dates to the 17th century, when it entered religious service. The exact construction date is unknown; some art historians place the surviving building around the second quarter of the 18th century.
The neighbourhood takes its name from the chapel's patron, Saint Elizabeth of Hungary, and was known in colonial times as the Barrio de los jaboneros because its residents made soap. The community was founded by the priest Juan Godínez, chaplain of the Spanish forces during the conquest of Guatemala. In 1690 about 210 indigenous parishioners attended the chapel.
The chapel is best visited early in the morning when there are fewer visitors and the light is more pleasant. If you want to photograph, ask politely and avoid loud noises as people may be praying inside.
The stone cross in front of the chapel was placed there in 1673, the same year the Franciscan order's jurisdiction over the ermita ended. The facade ends in a bell gable, or espadaña, with cushioned pilasters, a detail easy to miss from street level.
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