Temple of Our Lady of sponsorship

Temple of Our Lady of sponsorship


CHURCH OF OUR LADY OF SPONSORSHIP

Zacatecas mines were discovered by the Basque Juan de Tolosa, the September 8, 1546, the day of the religious feast of the Nativity of the Virgin Mary. To commemorate these events, the first settlers built a chapel in the back of the hill of La Bufa in honor of the Virgin, which proclaimed as its patron. Over time, the sacred precinct suffered a progressive deterioration to be in ruins. Then in 1728, Jose deRivera Bernárdez, Count of Santiago de la Laguna, provided the resources to build a new chapel on the ruins of the old and dedicated to Our Lady of sponsorship,which would later be hailed as the special patroness of the city of Zacatecas. After the death of Earl, the building began to deteriorate. In 1791, Father Mariano deBezanilla promote reconstruction. The work was finished in 1795 and since then hasbeen used for worship. The atrium was erected in 1967. The temple has two peculiarities: home to Our Lady of the Sponsor, the oldest Marian sculpturepreserved in the city of Zacatecas dating from the sixteenth century. It is also the only church in town that has carved its cover key elements of the coat of arms that Philip IIgave the city in 1588.