A Ministry of Corpus Christi Catholic Parish

Florida Cultural Heritage Center

A nonprofit museum complex on the historic Corpus Christi campus in Allapattah, preserving Spanish Colonial art and Florida's cultural patrimony — in a setting that fosters the universal search for the Spirit.

Visit floridaculturalheritage.org (305) 635-1331

Fr. José Luis Menéndez in front of La Merced Chapel

2 Historic Buildings — La Casa & La Merced Chapel

16th–19th c. Spanish Colonial Art

1492 Royal Letter From Ferdinand & Isabella

By Appointment Private Tours & Viewings

Preserving Florida's Cultural Patrimony

The nonprofit Florida Cultural Heritage Center complex is located on the campus of historic Corpus Christi Catholic Parish in the Allapattah neighborhood of Miami. The Center's mission is to acquire, preserve and make available to the public, today and in the future, the cultural and artistic patrimony of Florida, in a setting that fosters the universal search for the Spirit.

The Center's focus is on the earliest Spanish Colonial influences throughout South, Central and North America and the Caribbean, through the 19th century and, in special situations, the early 20th century.

“To give back something to the United States for what it has given us, its immigrant population. It accepts us and gives us a chance to build a new life. We in turn give the gift of our culture.”

— Rev. José Luis Menéndez, founder

It is also a gift to South Florida and to the people of transitional neighborhoods. “Just because many of our neighbors cannot donate the dollars needed for such a project as this does not mean that they do not deserve to live with art and culture, that their children should not benefit from a community reflecting the culture and history of so many of its people.”

Architectural model of La Merced Chapel and the village square

La Merced Chapel & Museum

The first building of the Cultural Center and the focal point of an anticipated village square, begun under the inspiration of the parish's Peruvian community. In addition to being a house of worship, it is home to significant original works of art, both Spanish Colonial art created in the New World and pieces imported from Europe by colonial settlers.

The windows are onyx from Pakistan. The floor is marble from Turkey. The interior step facing is from Alicante, Spain. Outside walls include coral rock from the Dominican Republic. Craftsmen from Cochabamba, Bolivia, Colombia, Mexico, Costa Rica, Honduras and Guatemala all contributed to its altars.

La Casa

The second building was the original convent for the nuns who staffed the parish grammar school, later a retreat center named Casa Chali for Puerto Rico's Blessed Carlos Manuel Cecilio Rodriguez Santiago. Now the Cultural Center's headquarters, La Casa houses meeting and reception rooms, a library, display areas for the collections, a studio for art restoration and conservation, and the Center's offices.

The Collections

A remarkable collection of Spanish Colonial art featuring works from throughout South and Central America and the islands — particularly Cusco, greater Peru and Mexico City — as well as art brought from Europe during the Colonial Period. The collection nearly doubled with the acquisition of a significant portion of the William Morgenstern Estate. Dating from the late 16th to the early 19th centuries, the paintings and sculptures express the unique heritage of Latin America with their Baroque aesthetic.

Additional holdings at La Casa include colonial and European paintings, icons, engravings and sculpture; a research library on the social and political history of Florida, the islands and the Americas; documents and memorabilia related to Cuba from its beginnings through Independence; original maps of the New World; decorative arts including silver, porcelain, furniture and tapestries; and religious vestments from the 17th to 20th centuries.

The collections in La Merced Chapel and Museum are open to the public by private appointment: (305) 635-1331. Learn more at floridaculturalheritage.org.