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Iglesia de San Juan Nepomuceno Of the several significant historic adobe structures in and around El Rito, the San Juan Nepomuceno Catholic Church offers an astounding and remarkably unique story in the history of large scale early New Mexican adobe building, and an even more remarkable and colossal reconstruction effort. Originally built by local villagers in the years between 1827 and 1832, the church was constructed with massive five foot thick walls reaching a height of nearly forty feet, topped with over 30 vigas, each weighing about a thousand pounds sitting on richly ornamented double corbels. The interior reveals both an early ornate altarscreen and adornments from the period when French priests led the liturgy, as well as the more austere and serene sacraments, paintings, and statuary made by local hispanic artisans over the years.
A comprehensive display and booklets about the history and reconstruction of the church will be available at the conference. Also self-guided access to the church will be arranged. |
For experienced builders, architects, and students of the adobe building process, San Juan Nepomuceno is altogether an amazing display of a monumental reconstruction effort undertaken over three years in the early 1980's; a tale of initially flawed methods resulting in the near collapse of the entire building, complicated innovative structural engineering, common sense traditional workmanship, and a gargantuan volunteer response to save the shrine.