Previously we toured Félix Candela's legacy around the city: his works for the public sector, the subway, the Palacio de los Deportes; but now we focus on the small buildings dedicated to the Catholic religion. These four chapels and churches are as unique as they are an example of the architect's genius for tensions and deformations. With some insistence, it is possible to visit them all today in the CDMX.
Florida Church, 1967
La Florida, 53160 Naucalpan de Juárez
Also known as Parroquia del Señor del Campo Florido (Parish of the Lord of the Flowery Field), this circular building was designed in this way so as not to favor any orientation.
In red and white, this church has a groin vault formed by eight hypars or hyperbolic paraboloids, classic of Candela's style. A small dome replicates the peaks and crowns the church located north of the city with stained glass windows that illuminate the interior.
Santa Monica Chapel, 1962
Strawberries 126, Tlacoquemecatl del Valle
This project was mainly the work of architects Fernando López Carmona and Carlos Ríos López, but Félix Candela advised them on the roof covering, thanks to his knowledge of mixing the lightness of the design with a material that reduced costs.
The semicircular roof and floor plan resemble a palm tree trunk that raises its branches and protects the assembly. The five windows formed by the five triangles reproduce scenes from the lives of St. Augustine and St. Monica, painted by Armando López Cardona.
St. Vincent de Paul Chapel, 1960
Cda. Miguel Ángel De Quevedo 50, Santa Catarina
The Santa Catarina Chapel in Coyoacán was the joint work of Enrique de la Mora, Antonio López Cardona and Félix Candela. In the middle of a residential complex that was expanding over time, the chapel was almost enclosed, making casual access a bit difficult.
The curvature of the roof with 3 hypars is familiar from Candela's structural work.
Church of the Miraculous Medal, 1955
Matías Romero 78, Vértiz Narvarte
One of Candela's early spatial explorations, and in association with Arturo Sanz de la Calzada and Pedro Fernández Miret. Unlike the churches that follow, this one is built with two hypars, one 20 meters high and the other 8.50 meters high.
With only one level, the Narvarte building makes an impact on its interior thanks to the geometry of Candela's influence.
