A Circle Inscribed by Hand

Liturgical and Architectural Transformation in the Parish Church of Santa Cruz del Pedregal

Authors

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.17979/aarc.2025.12.12924

Keywords:

Antonio Attolini, Liturgical Renewal, Mexico, Missionaries of the Holy Spirit, Modern Catholic Architecture

Abstract

The Parish Church of Santa Cruz del Pedregal in Mexico City is a prime example of the transformation of Catholic sacred spaces during the mid-20th century. Antonio Attolini’s modifications to José Villagrán’s original design reveal not only a reinterpretation of modern architecture but also the sensitivity of the Missionaries of the Holy Spirit to the influences of the Liturgical Movement. Based on unpublished archival material and oral testimonies, this study sheds light on the factors that led to these modifications, highlighting the decisive role of Pedro Corona M.Sp.S and other priests and artists. A plan by Villagrán with handwritten notes reveals the transformation of the project as a dialogue between architectural generations and liturgical traditions. The history of this project thus reveals the convergence of architecture, art, liturgy, spirituality, and community life.

Downloads

Download data is not yet available.

Author Biography

  • Gabriel Villalobos Villanueva , National Autonomous University of Mexico

    An architect by training, he graduated from the Faculty of Architecture at the National Autonomous University of Mexico (UNAM) and holds a Master of Design Studies from the Harvard Graduate School of Design, specializing in art and design in the public sphere. He is currently pursuing a doctorate in architecture at UNAM and teaches theory and history courses at the architecture faculties of UNAM and Anáhuac University Mexico. His doctoral dissertation examines the confluence of Catholic theology and modern architecture in three mid-20th-century case studies. His previous research projects have explored intersections between architecture, art, the public sphere, and exhibition spaces. In addition to his academic career, he was part of the curatorial team at the Jumex Museum and has collaborated with other cultural institutions in Mexico and the United States.

References

Acervo de Arquitectura Mexicana, Facultad de Arquitectura UNAM, Ciudad de México. Fondos Antonio Attolini Lack y José Villagrán García.

Archivo de la Parroquia Santa Cruz del Pedregal, Ciudad de México.

Archivo Histórico de los Misioneros del Espíritu Santo, Ciudad de México. Expedientes de la Santa Cruz del Pedregal (sección Gobierno, serie Casas, fojas 46, 63 y 76, caja 177) y de los sacerdotes Manuel Arellano Parra M.Sp.S. (sección Gobierno, serie Hermanos, foja 62, caja 336), Luis Cervantes Ibarrola M.Sp.S. (sección Gobierno, serie Hermanos, foja 86, caja 339) y Pedro Corona Montesinos M.Sp.S. (sección Gobierno, serie Hermanos, foja 78).

Armendáriz Etchegaray, Mercedes. Entrevista con el autor, Ciudad de México, 30 de septiembre de 2025.

Arreola, Gabriel. Entrevista con el autor, Ciudad de México, 20 de julio de 2025.

Attolini Pesqueira, Andrés. Entrevista con el autor, Ciudad de México, 28 de noviembre de 2025.

Fernández-Cobián, Esteban. 2023. «Presentación». Actas de Arquitectura Religiosa Contemporánea 10: I-VII. https://doi.org/10.17979/aarc.2023.10.0.10176

Fernández-Cobián, Esteban. 2025. «Psychoanalysis, religion and architecture. Fray Gabriel Chávez de la Mora and the monastery of Santa María de la Resurrección». Hispania Sacra 76(154): 1013. https://doi.org/10.3989/hs.2024.1013

Hejduk, Renata y Jim Williamson. 2011. «Introduction: The Apocryphal Project of Modern and Contemporary Architecture». En The Religious Imagination in Modern and Contemporary Architecture: A Reader, editado por Renata Hejduk y Jim Williamson, 1-9. Nueva York: Routledge.

Martínez Benítez, Gonzalo. Entrevista con el autor, Ciudad de México, 1 de agosto de 2025.

Pérez Oyarzun, Fernando. 2015. «La renovación de la arquitectura eclesiástica en el siglo XX-XXI latinoamericano». Actas de Arquitectura Religiosa Contemporánea 4: 2-23. https://doi.org/10.17979/aarc.2015.4.0.5116

Pérez-Méndez, Alfonso y Alejandro Aptilon. 2007. Las Casas del Pedregal 1947-1968. Barcelona: Gustavo Gili.

Santa-Ana Lozada, Lucía y Perla Santa-Ana Lozada. 2015. «La transformación espacial de las iglesias católicas en la segunda mitad del siglo XX en México: El caso de la Santa Cruz del Pedregal». Actas de Arquitectura Religiosa Contemporánea 4: 88-95. https://doi.org/10.17979/aarc.2015.4.0.5123

Vázquez del Mercado, Jorge. 2012. «Antonio Attolini Lack, 1931-2012». Jorge Vázquez del Mercado, 14 de junio. Recuperado el 06/08/2025. https://tinyurl.com/5n8eja3h

Vázquez del Mercado, Jorge. Entrevista con el autor, Ciudad de México, 31 de octubre de 2025.

Villagrán García, José. 1956. «Iglesia en El Pedregal de San Ángel». Arquitectura México 55: 188-189.

Downloads

Published

2025-12-20

Issue

Vol. 12 (2025): Sacred Architecture of Canonical Modernity: References

Section

Papers

License

Copyright (c) 2025 Actas de Arquitectura Religiosa Contemporánea

Creative Commons License

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.

How to Cite

Villalobos Villanueva , G. . (2025). A Circle Inscribed by Hand: Liturgical and Architectural Transformation in the Parish Church of Santa Cruz del Pedregal. Actas de Arquitectura Religiosa Contemporánea, 12, 54-69. https://doi.org/10.17979/aarc.2025.12.12924