A Place of Pilgrimage

I've seen dozens of paintings of this tiny little church so I decided that while I was visiting Santa Fe, I should take a drive out to Chimayo to see it in person.

I had read that the El Santuario de Chimayo was considered a place of pilgrimage for many people which I guess explains the crowds of people there on a rainy Saturday morning.  The shrine was designated a  National Historic Landmark in 1970 and the church itself was built in 1816.

This mural depicting the church and village area in earlier times was on the side of one of the buildings near the little chapel.

On the other side was another building that held offices and the gift shop.  

My goal was to see this chapel that has inspired so many artists and I wasn't disappointed.  It is every bit as picturesque as it looked in all those paintings I've admired.