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Station 17
The narthex.
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Narthex is a word of Greek origin that means “Atrium” and is the entrance to the church. In ancient times catechumens or unbaptized people who could not enter the church stayed here. A person baptized before entering the church went through the labyrinth to perfect his spirit and at the same time purify his soul. The Narthex was carved out of salt rock. Upon entering we find a ramp on the right side that culminates in the three large naves, and towards the left side we find a labyrinth with three stairs, any: left, center or right will lead you to the three large naves. We invite you to go down the path you like the most.
In the upper part of the Nártex is San Miguel Arcángel, this has a strip in which you can read in Latin “You are the salt of the earth”.
The formal and spatial management of the Narthex of the Cathedral evokes this tradition, equally and significantly, the concept of the labyrinths arranged in the pavement of some medieval Christian churches and cathedrals, preceding the main nave; paths of pilgrimage and meditation or even symbolically as a Calvary, whose intricate layout the penitents traveled on their knees in search of divine forgiveness. In this labyrinth there are three paths through which one enters the church. Here people choose which path to take and thus purify their souls. It is precisely this concept of transition, of peace and tranquility between the profane outside world and the sacred interior space, prior to entering the central nave, which explains and symbolizes the “Narthex” as the labyrinth of spiritual perfection and the route of the Viacrucis. that precedes it, as the mystical path towards the encounter with one’s own faith.
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