El Santuario de Chimayó is a Roman Catholic church in Chimayó, New Mexico. This santuario (Spanish for “sanctuary”) is famous for the story of its founding and as a contemporary pilgrimage site. It receives almost 300,000 visitors per year and has been called the most important Catholic pilgrimage center in the United States. Each year some 30,000 people from all over the world make pilgrimages to the Santuario de Chimayó during Holy Week, especially on Holy Thursday and Good Friday. Some seek blessings and some, fulfillment of a vow. Walking is traditional; some pilgrims walk from as far away as Albuquerque, which is about 90 miles away. Here is a 2015 news report from the Santa Fe New Mexican on the event – click here.
Julie and I have visited El Santuario several times, but never during Easter. It is an incredibly spiritual place.
This Easter, with respectful recognition of the pilgrims and to El Santuario de Chimayó, I offer this photograph from 1993 of the interior of the church, near the entrance to the sanctuary:
Ron Kern Photographer and Author 