Basilica of Our Lady of Mercy (Yarumal)

Basilica of Our Lady of Mercy
Basílica Menor de Nuestra Señora de la Merced
The front face of the basilica
Religion
Affiliation	Roman Catholic
Ecclesiastical or organizational status	Minor basilica
Patron	Our Lady of Mercy
Year consecrated	1944
Location
Location	6°57′48″N 75°25′2″W / 6.96333°N 75.41722°W / 6.96333; -75.41722
Municipality	Yarumal
Country	Colombia
Administration	Roman Catholic Diocese of Santa Rosa de Osos
Architecture
Architect(s)	José María Zapata Heliodoro Ochoa (redesigned the primary façade)
Style	Renaissance Revival
Groundbreaking	1861
Completed	1944

The Basilica of Our Lady of Mercy (Spanish: Basílica Menor de Nuestra Señora de la Merced) is a minor basilica in Yarumal, Colombia. It belongs to the Roman Catholic Diocese of Santa Rosa de Osos, and is the seat of the parish of the same name. The basilica is devoted to the Virgin Mary, and the patron saint is the Virgin of Mercy. It is the titular church of Saint Aloysius Gonzaga.

It was designed and built in the Renaissance Revival style as a larger replacement for Yarumal's first church. Begun in 1866, the construction project suffered from multiple difficulties including its enormous cost, the civil wars in the late nineteenth century, its partial collapse in 1890, and an earthquake in 1938. These delayed completion of the church until 1944, at which point it was consecrated. During construction, the Chapel of Saint Aloysius (formerly the cemetery chapel) was made a parish church.

The basilica is rectangular, divided longitudinally into three parts. The main façade is made up of two domed towers joined by the central nave. It is home to several works of art, notably Nuestra Señora de la Merced, a 1798 painting of the Virgin of Mercy that is considered to be miraculous.^[1]

In 1998, the Municipal Council of Yarumal declared the basilica and the Chapel of Saint Aloysius a cultural and architectural landmark of the municipality. On 12 August 1999, Pope John Paul II granted the church the title of minor basilica. Since 2000, the church has been home to the remains of the poet Epifanio Mejía, the author of the Himno Antioqueño.