page_title: Church of La Soledad, Mexico City
section_title: History
hierarchical_section_title: Church of La Soledad, Mexico City / History
caption_attribution_description: English: Main nave of the Parish of La Soledad in the historic center of Mexico City
context_page_description: The Church of La Soledad, officially known as the Church of Santa Cruz y La Soledad, is a Roman Catholic parish church of México City.
  The parish of Santa Cruz y La Soledad was the seventh parish established in Mexico City. The original church was an Augustinians doctrina de indios that was secularized by the archbishop in 1750. In the latter 18th century, the church was rebuilt in Neoclassic style, which remains to this day. The church deteriorated over time, but despite this was declared a national monument in 1931. In 1982, the building was restored.
  The church is located in the La Merced neighborhood with the Plaza de la Soledad located in front. This neighborhood is known for prostitution, and sex workers have staged commemorations for a National Day of Sexual Workers in front of this church.
context_section_description: The current building is the second on the site, originally called Santa Cruz (Contzinco). According to documents from the time, the architecture of the original church was Renaissance style, built with masonry and topped with a vault in sandstone.  The church was under the tenure of the Augustinians from 1633 to 1750, with the most important feature being the Virgen de la Soledad. After the Augustinians left this site, the church was rebuilt by Father Gregorio Pérez Cancio  with the help of architects Cayetano de Sigüenza, Ildefonso Iniesta Bejarano, Francisco Antonio de Guerrero y Torres and Ignacio Castera. It was finished in 1787 and consecrated in 1792. 
  Over time, the church lost most of its luster. Its annex became a home for indians in the 1930s, and a school, leaving the church with about half of its original space. Various thefts  from the 1940s to the 1970s caused the loss of candelabras, silver chalices and a reliquary. In 1970, a bus crash considerably damaged the outer fence and cracked an exterior wall. The building was declared a national monument in 1931 and was restored in 1982, allowing it to recover some of its original colonial look.
  The Merced area of the city now is a well-known area for prostitution.  An annual “National Day of Sexual Workers” (Spanish: Día Nacional de las y los Trabajadores Sexuales) is observed here to remember the violence that is often perpetrated against sex workers.
caption: Main nave
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