Basílica Menor Nuestra Señora del Carmen, Frontino, Gothic Revival minor basilica in Frontino, Colombia.
The Basílica Menor Nuestra Señora del Carmen is a Neo-Gothic church begun in 1922, with a facade completed in 1947 and twin towers calculated and built by Manuel Callejas Muñoz. Its interior holds a marble altar consecrated in 1955 and wooden pews made by local carpenters. The atrium, designed by Juan Carlos Gutiérrez, was rebuilt in 2001 and forms the upper part of the main park.
Construction of the church began in 1922 following designs by architects Andrés Lorenzo Huarte and Daniel Puelles, replacing an earlier small chapel built from straw and simple materials in 1860. Decades later, it received official recognition as a minor basilica in 2010.
On 7 February 1941 the Virgen del Carmen was named patroness of the church, and a 125-kilogram statue was brought from Barcelona, blessed on 20 July 1942. The Nazarene used in Holy Week processions also came from Spain, donated by Pedro Antonio Elejalde Gaviria. The facade clock and image were inaugurated on 15 July 1942.
The church stands on Frontino's main square, whose upper section forms its atrium, rebuilt in 2001 to a design by architect Juan Carlos Gutiérrez. The entrance faces this atrium, so the facade, clock and twin towers are seen from the park. The interior is reached from the square itself.
The towers were not part of the original design: when the Carmelites left in January 1947, the facade and interior were finished but the towers were still missing. They were calculated and built by Manuel Callejas Muñoz, a self-taught engineer from Frontino, who also carried out the technical execution of the whole church.
The community of curious travelers
AroundUs brings together thousands of curated places, local tips, and hidden gems, enriched daily by 93,774 contributors worldwide.