Main Street 31, 37893 Atotonilco, Gto., Mexico
The Church of Jesus the Nazarene in Atotonilco is an eighteenth-century Baroque-style church located 14 kilometers from San Miguel in the Mexican state of Guanajuato. It was founded by Father Luis Felipe Neri de Alfaro in 1740, who drew inspiration for its construction from the Church of the Holy Sepulchre located in Jerusalem. This Sanctuary, dedicated to Jesus the Nazarene, served as a school for Saint Ignatius Loyola. The Atotonilco Sanctuary is world-renowned because it was from this sanctuary that Miguel Hidalgo took the banner of the Virgin of Guadalupe as his flag to lead the movement for Mexico’s independence.
The Sanctuary, officially called the "Sanctuary of God and the Fatherland," is located in a small rural community with a population of 597 people in 2005. Atotonilco is situated 14 km from the city of San Miguel de Allende, in an area that is a mix of dry grasslands and desert dotted with thistles, sweet acacia, and mesquite trees. The landscape’s appearance is compared to that of Jerusalem, providing believers with a connection to the Holy Land. This area has many hot springs; when the Sanctuary was built, there were 27 springs around the complex used for irrigating the gardens, and today the hot springs are still functioning.
This building was originally intended to serve as a school for the Jesuit order. It is known for its intricate architectural structure and rich decoration, with very elaborate altars, luxurious reliefs, elegant sculptures, numerous easel paintings, but especially the frescoes of the 18th and 19th centuries, which make it an outstanding work of New Spanish Baroque. The monumental facade resembles a fortress with its large outer walls 10 meters high, topped with an inverted arcade. Additionally, its domes reach 20 meters in height.
The school and clock tower are located on the south side, and on the opposite side, to the north, is the Holy School of Christ. In front of the main facade is a narrow atrium, which was formerly used as a cemetery and is now surrounded by a small fence.
The church consists of a single nave, and to the north are the new sacristy, the chambers of Father Luis Felipe Neri, the Rosary Chapel, the Bethlehem Chapel, the Baptistery, and the Reliquary Hall. To the south are other chapels, such as the Chapel of the Most Holy Virgin of Solitude. Its restrained facade contrasts with the beautiful interior, where all the walls and ceilings are covered with frescoes, paintings, sculptures, and inscriptions in the Mexican Baroque style. Although there are several altars in a later Neoclassical style.
The frescoes were painted by a local artist named Miguel Antonio Martínez de Pocasangre. They were done in tempera, with some details painted in oil, and their great merit lies in representing a regional interpretation of European engravings of the Flemish style. Thanks to these magnificent frescoes, the sanctuary is known as the "Sistine Chapel of America."
The church was listed as a World Heritage Site in 2008.
Sources:
https://es.wikipedia.org/wiki/Santuario_de_Jes%C3%BAs_Nazareno_de_Atotonilco
