ATOTONILCO SANCTUARY
San Miguel de Allende
The Atotonilco Sanctuary, (Atotonilco means “place of hot waters”, because of the nearby hot springs), has been a place of adoration and pilgrimage since its foundation in 1740. This Sanctuary consists of the main building and six attached chapels that took more than 30 years to be entirely built.
The more than 206 pieces of religious art preserved in this building were sponsored by founder Father Luis Felipe Neri de Alfaro. The elaborate frescoes that cover the walls and ceilings also date from that time and are attributed to Queretaro-born painter Antonio Martínez de Pocasangre. In addition to the amazing fresco murals and the venerated image of the Lord of the Column, this sanctuary holds Baroque treasures of laborious and splendid decoration. The church in itself is an artistic treasure.
The sanctuary is also intimately related to the War of Independence and its leaders. The first banner for the war was taken from the main altar by the priest Miguel Hidalgo: a canvas depicting the Virgin of Guadalupe that is now exhibited in the National History Museum. The Sanctuary was also where the marriage of Don Ignacio Allende with Doña María Agustina de las Fuentes took place on April 10, 1802.
