The New Basilica of Guadalupe

The present church was constructed on the site of an earlier 16th-century church that was finished in 1709, the Old Basilica. When this basilica became dangerous due to the sinking of its foundations, a modern structure called the New Basilica was built nearby; the original image of the Virgin of Guadalupe is now housed in this New Basilica.

Built between 1974 and 1976, the new Basilica was designed by architect Pedro Ramirez Vasquez. It has a circular floorplan so that the image of the Virgin can be seen from any point within the building. An empty crucifix symbolizes Christ's resurrection. The choir is located between the altar and the churchgoers to indicate that it, too, is part of the group of the faithful. The Basilica is located in Mexico City.
(image and text from http://www.sancta.org/basilica.html)

The modern Basilica of Guadalupe is a circular structure resembling a giant tent, built on a system of 350 control "pilots" that support the Basilica's weight and can be manipulated to allow the Basilica to remain at street level regardless of how much the surrounding area may sink. It can accommodate 10,000 persons in the main chapel, and when its nine doors are opened to the plaza 40,000 more can see the mass celebrated at the main altar with the Image of the Virgin Mary. There are eight chapels on the mezzanine level of the Basilica that accommodate 250 persons. The circular design provides worshipers with a sense of unity and freedom of sight and movement.
(from http://www.archdiocese-chgo.org/hispanic/sites.htm)

The new Basilica appears in Arras design 23.

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