Iglesia Jesús Nazareno (photo by SajoR, via Wikimedia Commons)
Iglesia Jesús Nazareno (Jesus of Nazareth Church) is one of the most beautiful churches in Medellín. The church was built in the twentieth century, between the years 1923 to 1939.
The church is one of the most distinctive buildings in Medellín but surprisingly it isn’t found in any of the six English language Colombia travel guidebooks I have.
Travel guidebooks about Colombia are typically pretty poor in my opinion and miss many of the places worth seeing in each city in the country.
Iglesia Jesús Nazareno is a sizable Roman Catholic church with a Gothic architecture along with some French touches. Inside the church is decorated in white with gold trim with many pieces of art as well as stained glass windows.
The doors to Iglesia Jesús Nazareno are not open all the time so you’ll want to call before going to make sure it is open so you can see inside.
Along the front side of the church is Avenida Juan del Corral, which is well-known in the city and is also known as “Calle de Los Muertos” (Street of the Dead).
Many of the funerals in the city of Medellín are held in the area, as many funeral parlors are located on this street between Iglesia Jesús Nazareno and the Prado metro station.
They also hold some funeral services in the basement of Iglesia Jesús Nazareno. Reportedly the majority of the funerals in Medellín happen along Avenida Juan del Corral.
Three blocks north from Iglesia Jesús Nazareno is the San Vicente De Paul Hospital, which is part of the Universidad de Antioquia (Antioquia University) and is one of the largest hospitals in Medellín.
I have heard some of the nearby funeral parlors have solicited customers like vultures from families with deaths at the hospital.
So the area has an interesting mixture of life and death with the sizable church and a large hospital nearby (with many births and deaths), plus many funerals in the city being held there.
Iglesia Jesús Nazareno is located in the Jesús Nazareno barrio of La Candelaria (El Centro).
The church is conveniently located about three blocks from the Prado metro station. Just walk about three blocks north on Avenida Juan del Corral from the metro station, and it will be on the left side of the road.
Almost all the taxi drivers in the city also know where the distinctive church is located.
We recently looked in detail at Iglesia de la Veracruz, one of the oldest churches in Medellín.
We plan to look at several more of the historic churches in Medellín in a series of articles over the next couple months as we have found that several of the beautiful churches in the city are unfortunately missing from the English language travel guidebooks of Colombia.
Brad Hinkleman, Founder of Casacol SAS, shares with us his foreign buyer's guide to Medellín…
Medellin’s nightlife is a jungle of musical genres that can be overwhelming for the old-fashioned,…
Doing coffee tasting tours around the city and preparing Colombian coffee on your own is…
Mercado del Rio is the first food market in Colombia and one of the must-visit…
You've just landed in Medellin, and all you see around the city are tours and…
Taking a quiet afternoon sipping some coffee in Medellin can enhance your visit, so it’s…
This website uses cookies.
View Comments
Thanks for writing about this beautiful church and starting a series about churches in the city. I wasn't aware of the Street of the Dead, interesting. I agree with you that travel guidebooks for Colombia are poor. I have a couple that are full of errors - the Lonely Planet and the new Moon guidebook for Colombia.