San Miguel Arcángel Church

It is impossible not to think about this church when you hear about San Miguel de Allende. Without a doubt, it is one of the town’s most iconic buildings. The church was built around 1555, but fell into disrepair and was torn down and re-built in 1709 in its unusual baroque style. It was remodeled again in 1880 because of its decay. The design was led by master builder Zeferino Gutiérrez, who was inspired by European Gothic cathedrals, such as the one in Cologne, Germany. This is how the church acquired the tall spires and pointed arches that are featured in so many pictures of the church.

Today, the church sits on the Jardín Principal, the town’s main square, and with time has become the symbol of the city. Inside, it shelters oil paintings from the 17th and 18th centuries by Juan Rodríguez Juárez and other painters of the era. Next door is the Templo de San Rafael. The tower of this church in honor of the Archangel Raphael rises over the flower market.