Church of Saint Servatius (Valladolid)

The Church of Saint Servatius (Iglesia de San Servacio) is a Roman Catholic parish church located on the south side of Parque Francisco Cantón, the main plaza of Valladolid, Yucatán, Mexico. The church is one of the oldest surviving religious structures in the Yucatán Peninsula. The original building was erected on March 24, 1545, by Father Francisco Hernández, with its facade oriented westward. The current structure was built in 1706, with a northward orientation. It replaced the original church, which was demolished following a violent incident known locally as "the crime of the mayors". Its distinctive north-facing orientation, which is unique among colonial churches in Yucatán, is thought to be either a pragmatic alignment with the plaza or a deliberate ecclesiastical punishment for the city's repeated rebellions against Spanish authority. The church is dedicated to Saint Servatius, a fourth-century Bishop of Tongeren. The building serves as the main parish church of Valladolid and houses the venerated image of the Virgin of Candelaria, patron saint of the city.

Church data from Wikidata (CC0). Summary from Wikipedia (CC BY-SA).