Mercedarians
"The Royal, Celestial and Military Order of Our Lady of Mercy and the Redemption of the Captives also known as Our Lady of Ransom ( Latin: Ordo Beatae Mariae de Mercede redemptionis captivorums) is a Roman Catholic religious order established in 1218 by St Peter Nolasco in the city of Barcelona, at that time in the Kingdom of Aragon, for the redemption of Christian captives (during the Crusades). One of the distinguishing marks of the Order of the Blessed Virgin Mary of Mercy is that, since its foundation, its members are required to take a Fourth Vow to die for another who is in danger of losing their Faith. The Order exists today in 17 countries" (Wiki)
Connected Sites
| Site | Rationale | Link |
| Antigua Guatemala | La Merced Church "The Mercedarians were the first to establish a male monastery at the former Santiago de Guatemala ..... On top looms the effigy of San Pedro Nolasco who founded the Order of the Blessed Virgin Mary of Mercy in the thirteenth century. He is flanked by two Mercedaries and the crest of the order. The effigy of Our Lady of Mercedes is situated in the central niche of the facade. She is flanked to the left by the effigies of San Raymundo Nonnatus and San Pedro Arinengol (with a rope indicating his martyrdom because of being hanged) and to the right side by the Mercedary bishop San Pedro Pascual as well as the first Mercedary nun, Santa Maria de Cervelló." (Wiki) | |
| Arequipa | La Merced Convent and Church "The Order of Mercy was expanding very rapidly and during the sixteenth century, it established convents in Trujillo (1535), Huamanga (1540), Arequipa (1540), ...." | |
| Cuzco | in 1534, Father Sebastian de Castaneda founded the convent of Cuzco, the capital city of the Incan Empire, which would soon become a major evangelization center from which frequent missionary expeditions would leave for more remote areas. | |
| Lima | "As old as the city of Lima are the Convent and the Church of La Merced. According to ancient chronicles state that the land on which is built the Convent and Church and belonged to the Mercedaria order.....The Mercedarios is one of the religious orders that came to catechize the conquered peoples in Peru" (Wiki) | |
| Mexico City and Xochimilco | The former Convento de la Merced, at República de Uruguay #170, was established by the Mercedarian third order in 1595, with the present cloister (said to be a unique showcase of Mudejar architecture) being built between 1696 and 1703, with economic help from the count of Miravalle. The church -built between 1634 and 1654- was said to be the most sumptuous pf the viceroyalty of Nueva España and was demolished as a consequence of the "Ley de Desamortización" of 1861, in order to build the new city market. | |
| Panamá | "Continuing two blocks west along Av Cincuentenario, you'll arrive at the ruins of the Iglesia y Convento de La Merced. Erected by the Mercedarian friars in the early 17th century, the buildings actually survived the fire that swept the city following Morgan's assault. However, the church's facade is missing because the friars dismantled it and moved it to Casco Viejo, where it can be seen today." | |
| Potosi | Iglesia Na Sa de la Merced "The Order of Mercy was expanding very rapidly and during the sixteenth century, it established convents in .. Potosí (1549) .." | |
| Quito | La Merced Convent (Cuenca and Mejia) | |
| Santiago de Compostela | Monastery and Church of Santa María de Conxo : After the nuns left in the 15th century, the monastery "was subsequently inhabited by Mercedarian monks." |
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Do you know of another WHS we could connect to Mercedarians?
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