Some of the treasures of the history of the Province of Saint Nicholas of Tolentine of the Order of Augustinian Recollects and the environments and spaces where it has carried out its work throughout history and today.
Located on Fresas Street, opposite San Lorenzo Park, west of the Colony of the Valley in Mexico City, the cornerstone of the temple was laid in 1962. Designed by architects Fernando López Cardona (a pioneer and innovator, supervisor of the subsidence and restoration of the Cathedral of Mexico City) and Carlos Ríos López, the temple received a medal from the National Institute of Fine Arts.
For the construction of the dynamic roof, they consulted Félix Candela Outeriño (1910-1997), a Hispano-Mexican specialist in structures that extensively use the hyperbolic paraboloid. Due to its unique location facing two streets but without a corner, the temple has two access areas as entrances.
It features a semicircular floor plan with five large stained-glass windows that highlight different themes in Christian doctrine. Inside, there is a space protected by a reinforced concrete roof shaped like a shell, which allows for a significant open space without intermediate support columns.
The shape of the roof itself provides resistance and enables a minimum thickness, resulting in greater savings and constructive efficiency. The interior space visually and structurally converges towards the main altar, where the different segments that make up the roof are focused on one large, slanted column that supports the image of Christ on the cross.
From this column radiate double tee slabs and a skylight that later transform into access openings, crowned by polychrome stained-glass windows. The basement houses an area with crypts, while at the rear, facilities include the residence of the religious community, parish halls, and offices to serve the parishioners’ needs.
