|
CHIMAYO, NM - El Santuario de Chimayó,
a National Historic Landmark nestled in the foothills of the Sangre de
Cristo Mountains, underwent a major conservation project that began in
September 2003.
The work was completed in time for
thousands of annual pilgrims who descend upon the 1817 Spanish Mission
during Holy Week.
The conservation team included Project
Director Marina Ochoa of the Archdiocese of Santa Fe; Chief Conservator
Claire Munzenrider and her staff from the Museum of New Mexico; and local
artists selected by the parish: Cruz Lopez; his father, Ben Lopez; Felix
Lopez; and Irene and Raymond Parraz.
El Santuario de Chimayó was built from
1813 to 1817 by Bernardo Abeyta and remained in the hands of his
descendants until 1929, when the Spanish Colonial Arts Society purchased
it and then turned it over to the Committee for the Preservation and
Restoration of New Mexico Mission Churches.
Conservation included the structural
stabilization of the main altar screen, surface cleaning and stabilization
of the fragile original paint layers of the main altar and three of the
four side altars, the santos (religious statuary) and the nichos (wall
recesses to house the statuary).
Several of the santos, including the
six-foot crucifix from the main altar, Nuestro Señor de Esquípulas, were
moved for treatment in the conservation lab of the Museum of New Mexico in
Santa Fe.
Father Roca, the santuario's priest,
and Father Julio Gonzalez of the Holy Family parish that administers the
site, are pleased with the results of the conservation work and hope that
maintenance of the santuario will be done with respect to the integrity
and importance of the body of New Mexican religious art.
The artwork in the santuario
deteriorated over the last 200 years, mostly due to the incidental damage
from well-intended caretakers whose damp cloths used to wipe down
dusty panels streaked the original water-based paint; roof leaks; and dust
and grime that accumulated on the panels.
With 20-foot scaffolds, science, skill
and patience, the conservators saved the legendary santuario.
"We stabilized and cleaned the
altar screens," said Munzenrider.
"We are conserving, not restoring.
Conservation stops the clock, so this treasure will endure for 200
more years. Our work is
reversible, as is all good conservation in case better methods come
along."
The Spanish colonial-style mission
church is set in a walled courtyard with twin bell towers. The interior is a mixture of Spanish and Pueblo styles.
Carved corbels support vigas (beams) of
a timber ceiling. The plain
mud walls of the nave are punctuated by traditional New Mexican religious
panels and pews.
Traditional decorative designs and
religious symbols sing out the basis of faith in this chapel built by New
Mexican Catholics. The main
altar and side screens are filled with religious paintings on panels.
Gilded framework in the main altar
panel appears to be Baroque Mexican and is perhaps 100 years older than
the rest of the altar.
Before conservation, the altar panels
appeared unstable, damaged and faded, and faltered to the pressures of an
exterior wall filled with dirt and debris.
Conservators removed and secured the
wooden panels. The six-foot
cross from the main altar screen, now stabilized and conserved, was
returned to the santuario before Ash Wednesday, the first day of Lent.
The "miraculous" crucifix,
"Our Lord of Esquípulas," resides in el posito, close to the
famed pit of healing soil.
More than 300,000 visitors each year
pass through the colonial courtyard gates and the inscribed doors of El
Santuario de Chimayó.
On Easter weekend, thousands of
pilgrims walk from nearby Española, Santa Fe 27 miles south, or
Albuquerque, a grueling 80 miles away.
Some walk from the furthest corners of New Mexico.
This active mission needed
conservation, not only for its local community but also for the many
pilgrims who have sustained its legacy for some 200 years.
During Holy Week, media worldwide,
including The New York Times, cover the pilgrimage, ending their
clips with modest images of faith within the walls of the santuario.
"The entire crew of the Chimayó
conservation project wants to thank the visitors who we inconvenienced,
and everyone who supported us during this process," says Ochoa.
The Museum of New Mexico is a division
of the New Mexico Department of Cultural Affairs.
www.museumofnewmexico.org
<<<
>>>
(posted
4-7-04)
|
