Historic churches left battered by quake

Associated Press

MEXICO CITY

Half of the cupola of an historic church in Mexico City has fallen after sustaining damage during the magnitude 7.1 quake that hit central Mexico this week.

The dome of the Our Lady of Angels church featuring stained glass from Germany split in two and half collapsed Sunday afternoon.

The cupola was left with severe cracks after Tuesday’s quake and engineers had told church leaders it was likely to collapse.

According to the Archdiocese of Mexico, more than 150 religious buildings in central Mexico were damaged during Tuesday’s quake. Most of that damage occurred in Puebla state, where the quake was centered.

There in the city of Atzala, a child’s baptism turned into tragedy when the roof of a church collapsed, killing 11 family members inside, including the 2-month-old girl being christened.

Statues of saints have been left maimed, missing hands and feet. Once towering, celestial church naves now open to the sky. Dust from fallen stone and concrete cover altars.

On the first Sunday since the earthquake, priests no longer able to say Mass inside collapsing churches instead had services outside paying homage to victims and survivors.

Many of the collapsed buildings where rescuers have been searching for survivors held offices and apartments, places where people worked and lived. The damage to churches hit a different chord – striking places that in many Mexican cities serve as pillars of strength in times of distress.