Mexico/Puebla: Puebla – Chapel of Rosario
The Chapel of Rosario is attached to the Iglesia de Santo Domingo church in Puebla and is perhaps the most insanely and lavishly decorated in Mexico. When built in the 17th century, it was considered the 8th wonder of the world and the absolute height the New Spanish Baroque (heck, the Spanish church was mega powerful and gold was abundant in Mexico, so why not go completely nuts building a wonder of the world?). The Santo Domingo church itself is impressive, but the Chapel of Rosario is just mind- boggling with so much gold and decoration overload – every inch is covered in golden stucco! The plaster used is a mix of flour and egg white with water and then covered in genuine 24K gold leaf. The throne of the Virgin occupies the central altar, while 60 seriously overweight angels float around. The dome is even more insane – it’s like a Da Vinci Code with every statue and geometric shape meaning something about Catholicism – 8 principles of religious piety with 16 saints promoting all these principles. Oh, and the walls have priceless religious paintings on them. Just – wow!
