El Santuario de Chimayo

El Santuario de Chimayo
Original 24" x 36" x 0.75" painting
Golden, Liquitex, and Chroma acrylics on gallery-wrapped canvas

Today's archival piece celebrates El Santuario de Chimayo in Chimayo, New Mexico. The chapel was built between 1814 and 1816 where, as legend has it, a crucifix was found buried in the soil in 1810 by Don Bernardo Abeyta, a member of the Penetente Society (Hermandad de Nuestro Padre Jesus el Nazareno). After three attempts led by Fr. Sebastian Alvarez to remove the buried crucifix and place it behind the alter at the Catholic churce in Santa Cruz, where each time the crucifix disappeared only to be found again at the Chimayo site, the chapel was built on that location. The larger, current shrine was built in 1816, after the site grew in popularity due to the miraculous healings that were purported to take place at the site.

El Santuario de Chimayo, photo by Ed Taylor

Legend has it that the soil in El Posito, the "little well" near the main altar, has curative powers. The adjoining Prayer Room contains photos, shrines, and testimonials of the cured, along with discarded crutches and other orthopedic aids that were no longer required.

For more information on El Santuario de Chimayo, please visit the following sites:

Wikipedia
Archdiocese of Santa Fe

Quote of the Day
"There are only two ways to live your life. One is as though nothing is a miracle. The other is as though everything is a miracle." --Albert Einstein