San Nicolás Obispo

2006 World Monuments Watch

Built in 1591, San Nicolás Obispo, an important example of a Franciscan visita, or pilgrimage church, retains much of its original architecture. The upper portion of its façade was added in 1736, at which time a Baroque altar and a woodwork ceiling were installed in the sanctuary; a sacristy was added in 1886. Over the centuries, the church has been damaged by age, insects, moisture, and an attempt to restore the site in 1975, at which time the original mud plaster was replaced with moisture-trapping cement and its side altars were destroyed.

Since the Watch

Shortly after the 2006 Watch announcement, the state government of Michoacán and the municipal government of Morelia made funds available for structural repairs. In 2009 the site received additional federal funding for restoration.