Puerta Obispado

The Puerta Obispado, also known as the Bishop's Palace or El Obispado, is a historic colonial building in the Spanish Baroque style, set on Cerro del Obispado in Monterrey, Mexico. Built between 1787 and 1788 at the initiative of the bishop at the time, Rafael José Verger, the structure originally served as a residence and a house of worship. Its architecture is defined by massive walls of local layered stone and a magnificent main facade accented by a carved stone dome and a distinctive inverted pyramid-shaped pilaster. As one of the few surviving examples of viceregal architecture in northeastern Mexico, the building has great art-historical value.

After Mexico's independence, the palace served a wide range of purposes over the centuries. At times it was used as a military fortress, played an important role in the defense of the city during the Mexican-American War, the Second French Intervention, and the Mexican Revolution, and in later decades was even used as a field hospital and a cabaret. After a long period of neglect and structural damage, the first comprehensive restoration began in 1946. Since 1956 the building has housed the Regional Museum of Leon, and further interior rooms and the dome of the oratory were restored and decorated through the late 1990s. Today you can explore the building's historic fabric and the collections on display in this striking city landmark.