Sagrario Metropolitano (Metropolitan Tabernacle), Mexico City

Situated to the right of the Metropolitan Cathedral is the Metropolitan Tabernacle (Sagrario Metropolitano). Built between 1749 and 1760, it is considered a masterpiece of the Churrigueresque Baroque architecture. The structure has a Greek-cross plan and was purposed to house the archives and vestments of the archbishop; it also functioned, and still does, as a place to receive Eucharist and register parishioners.

The tabernacle has two main entrances; one to the south, facing the Zócalo, and the other facing east toward Seminario Street. The porous volcanic rock – tezontle – responsible for the deep-red color is beautifully contrasted by the white stone carvings adorning the exterior.

The southern (main) façade is richly decorated. Here, alongside the carvings of grapes and pomegranates as the ritual offerings symbolizing the Blood of Christ and the Church, you can see the images of apostles, saints, and martyrs, as well as scenes from the Bible and some zoomorphic reliefs, like a rampaging lion and the eagle from the coat of arms of Mexico. The eastern façade, somewhat less elaborate, contains images from the Old Testament and some prominent religious figures like Ignacio de Loyola, founder of the Jesuit order.

The Tabernacle stands on the site of a drained lake and its foundations are slowly sinking because of the unstable subsoil. Efforts are currently underway to stabilize the building and other nearby structures.