page_title: Basilica of Our Lady of Mercy (Yarumal)
section_title: Organ
hierarchical_section_title: Basilica of Our Lady of Mercy (Yarumal) / Elements / Organ
caption_attribution_description: Español: Órgano E.F. Walcker de la Basílica de Yarumal, Antioquia, Colombia.
context_page_description: The Basilica of Our Lady of Mercy is a minor basilica in Yarumal, Colombia. It belongs to the Roman Catholic Diocese of Santa Rosa de Osos, and is the seat of the parish of the same name. The basilica is devoted to the Virgin Mary, and the patron saint is the Virgin of Mercy. It is the titular church of Saint Aloysius Gonzaga.
  It was designed and built in the Renaissance Revival style as a larger replacement for Yarumal's first church. Begun in 1866, the construction project suffered from multiple difficulties including its enormous cost, the civil wars in the late nineteenth century, its partial collapse in 1890, and an earthquake in 1938. These delayed completion of the church until 1944, at which point it was consecrated. During construction, the Chapel of Saint Aloysius was made a parish church.
  The basilica is rectangular, divided longitudinally into three parts. The main façade is made up of two domed towers joined by the central nave. It is home to several works of art, notably Nuestra Señora de la Merced, a 1798 painting of the Virgin of Mercy that is considered to be miraculous.
context_section_description: The interest in purchasing a musical instrument to accompany the religious celebrations traces back to 1880, when Father Aldemar Palacio received on 3 June a letter from Jesús María Rodríguez, Provisor of the Bishop of Antioquia. The letter said that it was necessary for all the churches in the diocese to have a musical instrument, and as such ordered that an organ be purchased. However, due to the economic difficulties caused by the construction of the church, the purchase was postponed.
  On 11 October 1900, the Presbyter Emigdio A. Palacio informed the Board of the Works on the Church of the need to purchase a musical instrument. The Board of Manufacture resolved unanimously to contribute 1,000 with the cost of the organ quantity of until 1,500 pesos, that they would provide once the instrument was purchased.
  In 1947, the Presbyter Francisco Galician Pérez purchased a Hammond organ for 7,000 pesos, which was unveiled on 16 July by the teacher Cabral. It was blessed by the parish priest on 14 September.
  The current pipe organ was obtained by the priest Efraím Jiménez from Oskar Binder & Cia. Ltda. of the city of Bogotá, which was the exclusive Colombian representative for E.F. Walcker of Ludwigsburg, Germany. The company was founded in 1785 and had experience in building this type of organs for tropical climates. To provide a quote, a delegate from the firm moved to Yarumal to study the style and acoustics of the church, for which he suggested a pipe organ with 17 registrations, or 1020 pipes in total. It was valued at 102,000 pesos to be paid over three years. Father Jiménez requested permission to approve the contract from Bishop Miguel Ángel Builes, who allowed it and congratulated to the priest for his initiative.
  On 19 February 1961 the agreement was signed by the Presbyter Jiménez, Benedicto Soto Mejía (the chief of building), and by Oskar Binder (the delegate from the organ seller). 
  The pipe organ, weighing four tonnes, was sent from Bogotá by way of Sonsón on 6 March 1963. It arrived in Yarumal three days later, and it was put in the basilica through the "Door of the Pardon". Its installation began on 11 March, overseen by Oskar Binder, and it debuted on 19 March, the Day of Saint Joseph. The instrument was blessed from the pulpit by Bishop Builes before beginning the liturgy on Sunday 24 March.
  The Hammond organ was sold to the Chapel of the Conciliar Seminary of Santa Rosa de Osos for 25,000 pesos.
  The E.F. Walcker organ is composed of 17 stops spread among two manual keyboards, each with 61 keys, and a keyboard played with the feet to produce low bass notes. All the keyboards are in a console, which is separated and put in front of the organ with sight of the altar. These keyboards control 1,020 pipes of varied length and calibre. The organ is an orchestra in and of itself, with instruments like trumpets, bombards, oboes, clarinets, flutes and human voices. It is made of varnished and sealed mahogany. The organ works with an electrical fan and a 14-volt dynamo providing continuous current to the motor. Of the 32 organs in Antioquia, the basilica's is the eighth largest in area and volume.
caption: E.F. Walcker organ situated in the choir loft of the basilica. With 1,020 pipes, it is an orchestra that imitates trumpets, bombards, oboes, clarinets, flutes, and human voices.
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