THE GOOD SHEPHERD PARISH – Architecture

The temple has a Latin cross floor plan, with a clear neo-classic influence in its exterior, especially in its façade. Built with adobes perimeter walls, it is observed that in its entrance porch made with four Ionic style capital columns and decorated with scallops and garlands, over which rests and architrave with four flat beds and over a frieze decorated with garlands and angelic images, symbols of the four evangelists and in the center the image of the lamb. The crown of the triangular pediment is adorned with different religious motifs and in its center, in relation to the image, it can be inferred that it is the representation of the Cloth of Veronica with the face of Christ and its extreme upper side the image of the Virgin.

It has two wooden towers with a long spire that indicates any of their neo-gothic influence, although the towers are decorated with columns, cornices and molding elements clearly associated to neo-classism. In the base of the towers one can observe a molded disc that indicates two years: the year in which the temple construction started: 1862 and in the year in which the properties and temple were ceded to the Fundación Las Rosas: 1982.

In its interior there are three parallel naves among them, the central highest one is crowned in a reduced barrel vault, while the lateral ones, plus the lowest ones, have a lintel roof. The central one reaches the presbytery, crossing through the transept, forming two large Roman arches. The separation of the naves is done by fluted columns that hold the Roman arches, crowning them in a clerestory with large octagonal picture windows. The transept is crowned with an octagonal dome base with large picture windows that hold a beautiful cupola. The presbytery has a different height, a higher level than that of the naves. The transept has a roof with on-sight beams and a double slope roof; its walls have simple molding windows ending in Roman arches. The temple header has aesthetic aspects of the transept, with the roof difference, that is trabeated, not showing its structure.