A Stop at El Santuario de Chimayó

I love to take visitors to El Santuario in Chimayó. I like to see their reactions when they hear the story of the miracle church and the healing dirt.

Jake, Debbie and I visited Chimayo on a beautiful day several weeks ago on our way to Taos. They liked the little church and the interesting grounds.

Christmas at Chimayó

We love to go to Chimayó, to visit the little miracle church nestled there in the hills of this simple little Hispanic town. My daughter loves it there are much as I do, and perhaps we kindled a spark in my grand-daughter's heart the day we went there just before Christmas; she seemed especially thoughtful during our visit.

At Chimayó, John and I always seem to find new things to photograph. (I wish we could take a picture of the interior of the church, or the miracle room full of handmade written prayers and abandoned crutches and walkers, baby shoes, and pictures of those for whom family members have requested prayer...but that is not allowed.)

At Chimayó it is easy to believe miracles happen.

In the room where pilgrims scoop out portions of the famed Chimayó dirt to take with them, I found a poem which a pilgrim from Las Cruces, G. Mendopa, had left at some time when he visited. The last two lines of the poem touched me:

"Of all the places in the world
This must be Heaven."

Indeed.

Merry Christmas everyone!

To all of our friends around the country ...

We wish you a wonderful Christmas celebration!

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El Santuario de Chimayó



La Fonda Hotel, Santa Fe


Alessandro



Carlos, Victoria, and Alessandro

The crosses at Chimayó

There is a place along a chain link fence at the Santuario de Chimayó where pilgrims leave crosses they have fashioned from twigs and other simple materials.

The first time we went to Chimayó years ago and I saw the fence full of handmade crosses -- and realized the simple faith expressed in them, I was overwhelmed and I stood there for the longest time, in awe.

Since that time years ago, the fence has been moved to another location, along the paved walkway from the parking lot up to the church. I still take time to stop and look at the crosses ... but I am amazed at the numbers of people who walk right past them without looking. Seems like we do that a lot in our lives.

I took these pictures when we were in Chimayó a week ago:

A visit to Santuario de Chimayó

We did a lot of traveling around the area while my friend Susie was here. There were so many possibilities, so it was hard to decide what to include and what to leave for another visit.

Last Sunday we went up to Chimayó to see the Santuario. It was another beautiful New Mexico day. Here are some pictures we took:

On the road to Chimayó:



The Santuario:









Susie and I:

The Santuario in June

We have been to the Santuario at Chimayo many many times; it is one of my favorite places to photograph in New Mexico. We have never visited in June until this week. The setting was even more beautiful with the summer flowers in full bloom and all the trees so green and lush.

Chimayó, Part Two

Here are more pictures that John took on Friday at El Santuario de Chimayó. These were all taken on the grounds around the church. It is such a peaceful place.






These next two pictures were taken in the outdoor chapel (John called it a grotto) behind the church. It is full of very tall cottonwood trees which make a kind of natural ceiling over the benches and altar.




The santuario grounds have many shrines as well as the stations of the cross and fences where pilgrims leave various items: handmade crosses, ribbons, rosaries, pictures, handwritten letters, poems and other mementos. This one had many baby shoes and bibs. Inside the church believers have left crutches and walkers. The first time I visited Chimayó and saw all the items visitors had left behind, I was extremely touched and amazed at the faith which inspired people to take time to leave something tangible of themselves or their loved ones behind.



(Remember you can click on all pictures to enlarge.)

My pilgrimage

El Santuario de Chimayó is a Roman Catholic church in Chimayó, New Mexico. Revered to be a place where believers can find healing, the shrine has a room where visitors can scoop up some Chimayó dirt to take with them: applied to the area of the body which needs healing, the dirt is said to have miraculous properties.

Soon after I was healed from salmonella and the accompanying complications in August, I knew I wanted to make my own pilgimage to the shrine at Chimayó: not to gather dirt for healing, but to thank God for saving my life and giving me more time for the future, and to give thanks for all the prayers I had from family and friends which saw me through this illness.

It was a very beautiful day to visit Chimayó. We wandered all over the grounds of the church property. They have made some really nice upgrades to make it better for visitors. But inside the little church it remains the same as always, timeless, stepping back into 1816, when the present church was built.

I was not prepared for the rush of emotions I would feel sitting there and talking to God. To be given a miracle, and know that my life here on earth is because of God’s mercy, is humbling, and a reason to rejoice.





Our visit to Chimayó included a couple of other stops in addition to the santuario. We ate burritos and tamales at Leona's Restaurant, where they have been serving up great food for many years, and we stopped at Ortega's Gift Shop, where we bought a lot of gifts for family members. It was just a wonderful day.