It is located a few blocks from the central Cathedral of Oaxaca, and you can reach it by way of walking through “Macedonio Alcala”, which is a recommended tourist walk way filled with colonial architecture.
The structure itself has two twin towers and a square decorated with the maguey plant. The temple is constructed out of hand cut lime stone quarry. Inside the church, you will find the roof and walls with tapestry made out of wood and cover with gold. Inside you will also find a genealogical tree of Saint Dominique. The structure was constructed by the religious order of the the Dominique by the middle of the 17th century. However, the church itself was inaugurated in 1608 (although it was still incomplete). The style of the architecture is “Hispanic-Baroque”. This is a definite must see temple when in Oaxaca.
By the middle of the 19th century the Dominicans were expulsed by the Mexican government and the holy building was used by the government as a military post. Later on the Dominican were able to recuperate their building, but not the convent. Today the convent is used as a regional museum of Oaxaca, and it exhibits objects discovered in Monte Alban archeological zone. Another part of the convent is used as a botanical garden exhibiting the typical plants of the region.
St. Dominique Temple
The temple was visited by John Paul II in 1979, where he presided over mass. This place was also declared as a World Heritage site by the UN.
