The Chapel of the Virgen del Rosario is the chapel attached to the Church of Santo Domingo in the city of Puebla, Puebla, Mexico. A work of the 17th century, the summit of the New Spanish Baroque, it was described in its time as the Eighth Wonder of the World^[1] by Friar Diego de Gorozpe in a print from 1690,^[2][3] and regarded as such for a long time in New Spain,^[4] as well as La Casa de Oro (The Golden House) and Domus Aurea.^[4] It is one of the most prominent examples of the New Spanish Baroque and one of the greatest artistic-religious achievements in Mexico. It is a chapel full of symbolism, with each element representing something related to the beliefs of Catholicism and the Dominican Order.^[4] It is located on pedestrian avenue 5 de Mayo number 407.

The building is part of the Historic Center of Puebla City, which was added to the UNESCO World Heritage List in 1987.

The order of the Our Lady of the Rosary was promoted by the Dominican Order, who dedicated in each of their convents a chapel to their devotion. In Mexico it was no exception when the first religious of the order arrived in 1526, but it was not until 1531 when they began the construction of their first important church in Puebla, which is also dedicated to the Archangel Michael however the Chapel of the Rosario was conceived until 1650 and completed and consecrated on 16 April 1690.^[3]

It was the first in Mexico dedicated to the Our Lady of the Rosary.^[4] Its construction served a double purpose: to worship the Virgin and teach the faithful the prayer of the Holy Rosary. It was conceived by the Dominican Friar Juan de Cuenca, who in 1650 began its construction,^[2] but given the magnitude of the work, until 1690 it was completed by two other Dominicans Friar Agustín Hernández and Friar Diego de Gorozpe, who they dedicated the distinguished bishop of the Puebla of the Council of His Majesty Manuel Fernández de Santa Cruz,^[5] and celebrating its consecration on April 16, 1690, to coincide with the date on which the City of Puebla de los Ángeles was founded. The celebration lasted 8 days (La Octava),^[6] pronouncing in each of them a sermon, processions, masses and events turning it into a great stage of joy.^[2]

The determined impulse to the teaching of the Holy Rosary and the favorite devotion to the Virgin of Our Lady of the Rosary, which was given to them in the 17th century, explains the complexity of the great work, which as soon as it was finished and qualified as the Eighth Wonder of the World.

In 1971 a team of restaurateurs sponsored by the Mary Street Jenkins Foundation did a restoration work in the Chapel.

This type of construction reflects the economic reach of the Church in those years and the ambition and sumptuousness with which its churches were planned and erected.

The plan is arranged in the shape of a Latin cross, with short sections and testero^{[fn 1]}. The nave is divided into three sections and its vault is barrel with lunettes in the same way as the sections of the crossing, it has a narrow dome with tholobate and on this some windows and others in the semicircular dome, whose purpose is to give illumination to the sumptuous ciprés just down.

The interior of the chapel is majestic, where the architectural structures have been covered in every corner that is observed with reliefs in golden stucco, in order to exalt the religious feeling.

The lateral walls of the nave are symmetrically covered by large canvases by the painter José Rodríguez Carnero (1649-1725), with themes alluding to the Joys of the Virgin, the paintings are in the Chiaroscuro style that contrast with the bright and clear adorn the crossing, by the same author.

The lower part of the paintings is paneled with azulejos from Talavera pottery.

On the crossing there are other paintings with themes related also to the life of the Virgin, as well as another large one that crowns the apse of the chapel and is dedicated to the Glorification and Triumph of the Rosary. The reliefs that cover the walls, pilasters and vaults have motifs not only of the plant, animal or angelic order but also of the symbolic-religious order.

The Chapel is decorated with overgilded plasterwork,^[4] prepared with a base of flour with egg white and water (?)^{[fn 2]} and covered with 24 carat gold leaves,^[7] like many Baroque decorations of the Pueblan capital.

On the altar stands the throne of the Virgin, with a baldachin carved by the Spanish master Lucas Pinto.

The access portal is in the left crossing of the church, and its austere Baroque design contrasts with the wealth of the interior. It has a cushioned rounded arches, as well as the decorated and the jambs, slightly trumpet-shaped and framed by tuscan pilasters and corinthian columns. Finish the arch something similar to a balcony with a window between pilasters.

The chapel is characterized by being of Latin cross plan with short sections and testeros^{[fn 3]}. It is a dazzling example of the 17th century New Spanish Baroque style, and a stage for faith and fantasy, where each element has a precise meaning. In the vault the representations of the three theological virtues are immersed in the foliage: Faith, Hope and Charity. We find sixty angels placed around the circumference that forms the dome and the main vault, each in a different expression, some are only heads and/or others are full-body images. A detail to highlight is that in the area dedicated to the choir and the organ, we find angels that seem to be playing musical instruments and singing songs.

• Interior. 1924 photo by Manuel Toissant.^[10]
• Interior. 1924 photo by Manuel Toissant.
• Ciprés. 1924 photo by Manuel Toissant.
• Exterior
• Talavera azulejos in the wall
• Faces, yeserias and azulejos
• Cherubim playing musical instruments
• The Virgin of Rosary, main church's image
• Señor del Santo Entierro (Lord of the Holy Entombment)

• Church of Santo Domingo, Puebla
• Our Lady of the Rosary
• List of buildings in Puebla City