Sanctuary of Chimayo

Detail of adobe arch and cross at entrance to the complex, framing the distant facade; El Santuario de Chimayó is a Roman Catholic church in Chimayó, New Mexico. This shrine, a National Historic Landmark (and on the National Register), is famous for the story of its founding and as a contemporary pilgrimage site. It receives almost 300,000 visitors per year. Built of adobe with a bell tower on each side, the church has walls more than 3 feet (about 1 m) thick. Originally built and maintained by a private family devoted to the Christ of Esquipulas, a pilgrimage site in Guatemala where the clay is ascribed healing power. It passed to the Archdiocese of Santa Fe in 1929. Source: Wikipedia; http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Main_Page (accessed 4/25/2011