THE HISTORY OF ART IN SAN MIGUEL DE ALLENDE: The Oratory

Part I

One of the largest religious establishments in San Miguel de Allende is the church of the Oratory, prominent along Insurgentes Streets just west of the Plaza Civica. It has an impressive façade with numerous columns that end in elaborate capitals of varied architectural styles. The columns themselves appear to have Churrigueresque elements—a Spanish, extremely elaborate decorative style better represented in the church of San Francisco. The church of the Oratory has a large atrium in front, and a separate side atrium at the eastern end where one can still appreciate the ancient, 16^th century doorway that leads to the side door. That used to be the entry to the original structure on the site, the Ecce Homo chapel of the mulattos.

The church of the Oratory has a fascinating history, and it begins with the creation of the order itself in Italy in the 16^th Century. When Martin Luther posted his 95 theses on October 31, 1517, precipitating the Protestant Reformation, the Catholic Church experienced a major rupture. Following this, a range of religious orders and congregations emerged: Capuchins, Franciscans, Jesuits, and others considered "regular clergy" because they took solemn vows. In contrast, some formed congregations of "secular brothers" who lived together in a community, but did not take vows. 

In 1575, an Italian priest named Philip Neri, unhappy with the lax morals of the clergy in Rome, founded the order of the Oratory. He guided the order to focus on a simple way of life, avoiding the pomp and wealth of the Catholic clergy. The Oratorians had some progressive ideas and a more open mindset, and the order quickly spread through Europe. In 1669, they arrived in Mexico City in New Spain, and from there, they expanded their influence to other areas.

By the late 1700s, San Miguel el Grande (the name of the town then), had amassed considerable riches, and its town square was surrounded by mansions built by the rich Spanish residents and their descendants, the Criollos. The town had an inordinate number of churches, with the Catholic Church owning about 60 percent of the real estate in town. The power of the Church was overarching and unshakable; it controlled every aspect of life and collected fees for each milestone—baptisms, confirmations, weddings, and funerals had to be paid by every member of society regardless of means. Without the sanction of the Church, neither one’s existence, nor marriage, nor a heavenly afterlife was assured. The threat of the Inquisition hung over all, where a thought expressed, or an act committed could be interpreted as heretical. To ingratiate themselves with the Church, the wealthy of the town poured money into the clergy’s coffers to build churches and chapels—their guarantee of entry into paradise.

In 1712, the Order of the Oratory arrived in San Miguel el Grande, establishing a church in town. The Oratorians brought major ideological changes and they established two schools, one for common people and another for the Criollos, the children of the landed aristocracy. 

The latter institution, the Colegio de Francisco de Sales, founded in 1774, became the seedbed of a new philosophy when Juan Benito Díaz de Gamarra became the rector and professor of philosophy. Diaz de Gamarra studied at the Jesuit University of San Idelfonso in Mexico City, and in 1767, he went to Europe, where for the next three years he absorbed Enlightenment ideas at the universities of Pisa and Bologna.

Upon his return to New Spain and assuming the position of rector at the Colegio de Sales, he revised the curriculum to bring it in line with the best in Europe, teaching a modern philosophy based on science, rationality, common sense, and tolerance. Considered one of the first to promote Hispanic Enlightenment eclecticism—a unique blend of Enlightenment and traditional ideas. His blend of various philosophical systems was based primarily on the ideas of Descartes, but also following other philosophers of the era: Tomas Vicente Tosca, of Spain; Gottfried Wilhelm Leibnitz, and Christian Wolff of Germany.

By the end of the 18^th century, El Colegio de Sales was nationally recognized, and with the expulsion of the Jesuits by King Charles III in 1767, the school became the leading cultural and educational center in New Spain.

Diaz de Gamarra’s intellectual discourses were too radical, and he soon fell out of favor with the Church. In 1781, the bishop of Michoacan, Juan Ignacio de la Rocha came to the Congregation of the Oratory of San Miguel el Grande on an official visit. He had been directed by King Charles III of Spain to visit the various schools throughout New Spain to guarantee that they all “maintain the orthodoxy [of teaching] and political obedience.” The city of San Miguel was targeted because “that school is located in a place removed from the kingdom…without information about their doctrines,” with a particular concern for the ideologies of Diaz de Gamarra, who was believed to be “a contentious and disobedient genius,” and was known to have in his possession “prohibited books.”

De la Rocha was cordially received by the Oratorians of San Miguel el Grande, but when he requested to visit the Colegio de Sales, his request was rejected. This refusal was not taken well, and de la Rocha appealed to his superiors. Shortly thereafter, the archbishop Jose Perez Calama—a church official with a rank higher than that of a bishop, came to San Miguel el Grande with a notary and a formal request to visit the school. Once again the Oratorians refused.

This escalated the matter, and on January 3 of 1782, Calama suspended ten of the Oratorians, including Diaz de Gamarra, from any church activity whatsoever. Furthermore, Calama pronounced that unless the visit was permitted within five days, he threatened to excommunicate the culpable priests.

The threat was not taken well by the population of San Miguel el Grande, who loved and respected the Oratorian congregation, and there were several appeals to Calama to soften his stance. On January 6, just three days after the initial proclamation, the archbishop lifted the threat of excommunication from four of the initial ten priests affected by his decree. It was a powerful, public clash between two distinct principles. On the one hand, the archbishop appealed to a the absolute rights of the monarchy and episcopal authority; on the other hand, Diaz de Gamarra wanted free rein in the curriculum of Colegio de Sales, without any intervention. The Oratorians stood firmly together, their reply to the archbishop was: you either clear all of us, or clear none of us.

Bust of Diaz de Gamarra

The dispute reached a stalemate, and we will never know how it would have ended because on February 3, 1782, Juan Ignacio de la Rocha died, and the matter of his visit was put aside. A year and several months after the death of la Rocha, on November 1, 1783. Diaz de Gamarra died as well.

The death of Gamarra did not alter the admiration felt by his students, it only elevated it. Perhaps even more than his teachings, his confrontation with church authorities and his stubborn stance left a lasting impression on his students. “The younger generations retained memories of these disagreements…[and] a sense of disobedience toward the authorities…” The later actions of these young men, heirs of Gamarra’s philosophy, who were awed by his defiance of authority, transformed the town and the nation.

Nearly all the wealthy Criollos were students of Diaz de Gamarra at the Colegio de Sales, but one stood out among the rest. He was a natural leader who could persuade others to follow, who shaped dreams into action and was fearless in the face of danger. The native son who made San Miguel el Grande the cradle of independence, the man who was instrumental in ushering in a new era in New Spain, was Ignacio Allende de Unzaga.

There is a lot more to the church of the Oratory, and in Part 2 we will delve into the interior, where many fine works of art are found.