Church of El Jesús de la Tercera Orden

I invite you to walk a little closer so you can stand directly in front of the monument before you. This is the Church of El Jesús, also known as the Iglesia de la Tercera Orden, one of Mérida’s most elegant and historically rich religious buildings. Construction began in 1618, when the Jesuits settled in the city and founded the Colegio de San Francisco Javier, an important center of religious and intellectual life in colonial Yucatán. The church became its spiritual heart, before going through a turbulent history marked by the expulsion of the Jesuits in 1767, years of abandonment, and later its transfer to the Franciscan Third Order in the early nineteenth century, which gave it the name it bears today. It was then affected by the upheavals of the Mexican Revolution, particularly in 1915, before being restored and reopened for worship in the 1920s. Its Baroque architecture is remarkable for its balanced proportions, slender towers and finely sculpted details that combine European influences with local craftsmanship. As you step inside, the atmosphere changes immediately: the richly decorated interior, with its warm colors and floral motifs, feels far more ornate and intimate than many other churches in the city. If the church is open during your visit, take the opportunity to go in and look around; if not, simply continue your walk by going around it on the right.