The Construction Process of the Metropolitan Parish Church of Guadalajara: The Arrival of José Gutiérrez and the Beginning of Neoclassical Architecture in the City

Abstract

Although studies concerning this building have tended to associate the origins of the Sagrario with the figure of bishop Antonio Alcalde y Barriga in 1785, interest in providing a separate building to serve as ancillary parish church to the cathedral already existed. The work, which began in 1808 and was not complete until 1843, went through various moments or stages of construction. While various economic and political factors are known to have caused the work to be paralyzed on several occasions, other reasons for the delay in completion (and numerous items of information regarding the building process and its architects) have been ignored. In parallel with the commencement of works, the arrival of architect José Gutiérrez in Guadalajara and the introduction of a new academic esthetics meant a change in the city’s architectural environment.