<P> Officially known as the `` Templo Expiatorio a Cristo Rey , '' the first structure of the old basilica was begun in 1695 and it was not finished until 1709 . The major architect was Pedro de Arrieta . It is characterized by its doric interior and marble statues of Fray Juan de Zumárraga , archbishop at the time it was started , and Juan Diego , the peasant who saw the vision of the Virgin Mary . These are featured in the altarpiece that originally held the image of Our Lady of Guadalupe . ( That altarpiece matches a similar one in the older chapel higher on the hill , which features the archangels Gabriel and Michael ) . The church was granted basilica status by Pope Pius X in 1904 . </P>
<P> Officially known as the `` Templo Expiatorio a Cristo Rey , '' the first structure of the old basilica was begun in 1695 and it was not finished until 1709 . The major architect was Pedro de Arrieta . It is characterized by its doric interior and marble statues of Fray Juan de Zumárraga , archbishop at the time it was started , and Juan Diego , the peasant who saw the vision of the Virgin Mary . These are featured in the altarpiece that originally held the image of Our Lady of Guadalupe . ( That altarpiece matches a similar one in the older chapel higher on the hill , which features the archangels Gabriel and Michael ) . The church was granted basilica status by Pope Pius X in 1904 . </P>
who built the basilica of our lady of guadalupe
who built the basilica of our lady of guadalupe
Pedro de Arrieta
Pedro de Arrieta