Bartolomé Mongrell's Lost Sistine Chapel of the Rio Grande Valley
On October 23, 1970, a plane crash at St. John the Baptist Church in San Juan, Texas, led to the destruction of fourteen murals by Bartolomé Mongrell, who had painted them between 1953 and 1970, illustrating the life of Jesus Christ. The pilot was the only fatality, while sixty priests and numerous children escaped unharmed. Two murals survived, remaining in Mongrell's studio in Matamoros. Following the incident, he created two new works for the restored church, which became a National Shrine in 1998 and was elevated to a minor basilica in 1999. Mongrell, originally from Valencia, Spain, moved to Matamoros in 1950.
Key facts
- On October 23, 1970, a pilot deliberately crashed a plane into St. John the Baptist Church in San Juan, Texas, destroying fourteen murals by Bartolomé Mongrell.
- The pilot was the only casualty; sixty priests and dozens of children survived.
- Mongrell painted the murals from 1953 to 1970, depicting the life of Jesus Christ.
- Two murals survived because they were not yet installed; they remain in his former studio in Matamoros.
- Mongrell was born in Valencia in 1915 and trained at the Real Academia de Bellas Artes de San Carlos.
- He settled in Matamoros in 1950 after a brief time in Mexico City.
- After the crash, he painted two murals for the restored church: 'The Pilgrims to Emmaus' and 'The Baptism of Christ'.
- The new basilica was dedicated in 1980, designated a National Shrine in 1998, and elevated to a minor basilica in 1999.
Entities
Artists
- Bartolomé Mongrell Mestre
- Bartolomé Mongrell Muñoz
- José Mongrell Torrent
- Joaquín Sorolla
- Ignacio Pinazo
- Ruano Llopis
- Agustín Almar
- Jacinto Benavente
- José Iturbi
- Ruth Young McGonigle
- Estefania Mongrell
- Jackeline Mongrell
Institutions
- St. John the Baptist Church
- McAllen International Airport
- Real Academia de Bellas Artes de San Carlos
- Palacio de Bellas Artes
- Capilla del Rosario
- Brownsville Art League
- University of Houston-Downtown
- Iglesia de San Francisco de Asís
- Matamoros Seminary
- Diocese of Brownsville
- Church of Our Lady of San Juan del Valle
- National Shrine
- Glasstire
Locations
- San Juan
- Texas
- United States
- McAllen
- Lower Rio Grande Valley
- Valencia
- Spain
- Mexico City
- Mexico
- Puebla
- Matamoros
- Brownsville
- Jalisco
- San Miguel de Allende
- Coatzacoalcos