Esquipulas - The Cathedral

The Cathedral

The cathedral at Esquipulas was proclaimed a Basilica in 1961 by Pope John XXIII, and in 1995, celebrating the 400th anniversary of the shrine, Pope John Paul II proclaimed it "the spiritual center of Central America." Every year, thousands of pilgrims from Guatemala, the United States, Mexico, Europe and other Central American countries flock to pay homage to the dark wooden image of the crucified Christ, the most revered Catholic shrine in the region.

El Santuario de Chimayo, a major Roman Catholic pilgrimage site in ChimayĆ³, New Mexico, USA, is closely linked with Esquipulas.

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