THE CHURCH, currently under construction, completes a fundamental part that most modern cities lack: the presence of the sacred. The church of Holy Mary Queen of the Family emerges as the heart of a new community in the center of Ciudad Cayalá.
This new church has been an important building in Cayalá´s master plan since the early design stages, as it marks a cross on the earth and shows the presence of God in the world. The building embodies a traditional church typology — a Latin cross — and follows classical principles and forms: a tradition that has been carried forward in history for more than fifteen hundred years. The volume of the church is articulated by a larger dome on the crossing, and a smaller dome on the perpetual adoration chapel, which is itself surrounded by smaller domes. The composition of domes and chapels reminds the visitor of the relationship between Mother and Son.
Holy Mary Queen of the Family rises on a platform towards which all the main streets of this city converge. It will be the first traditional church to be built in Guatemala in the 21st century and the first of this scale in more than two centuries. The church stands out as the most important public building in Cayalá, which is achieved through its robust volumetry, rich architectural treatment, a profusion of vertical elements and, especially, through its urban location, making it the visual focus for the whole city. The church redefines Guatemala City’s skyline and re-establishes the hierarchy of the sacred over the secular, and of the public over the private, thus giving continuity to the use of universal principles that are eternally valid for humankind.
The subtly triangulated stone facade is conceived as a symbolic portal of the triumph of Heaven on Earth. When viewed from the main street, three crosses protrude to form a composition: the first is located above the main entrance portal, the second above the main dome, and the third at the top of the bell tower, which together represent the Holy Trinity.
The entrance court of the church is adorned by a bronze sculpture of Pope Saint John Paul II, the Great, who was a fierce devotee of the Virgin Mary. The various domes will be covered with blue tiles, following the tradition of representing the celestial vault and the presence of the infinite and eternal on Earth.
Credits
Architecture: Pedro Pablo Godoy Barrios y María Sánchez, Estudio Urbano
Construction Documents: Qualicons Constructora
General Contractor: Qualicons Constructora
