Parish Our Lady De La Merced

The temple of Our Lady of the Merced has its origins in 1560, when in the place now occupied the Crown Market was founded the first school of the city, Santa Catalina. However, the school disappeared in the mid-17th century, and that was when the barefoot Carmelites requested the land to build a new convent and the temple of La Merced. This new project also envisaged the creation of a seminar in which studies were given mainly on the thought of St. Thomas Aquinas, reflecting the educational and spiritual importance of the place in its time. The construction of the architectural complex was a long work that covered more than seventy years, being carried out by three friars: Miguel Telmo, Albuquerque and Simon de los Reyes. The promoter of the work was Fray Francisco de Pineda, who promoted the design and construction of the temple and the convent, marking a milestone in the architectural history of the city.