Iglesia de la Purísima Concepción, Baroque church in Álamos, Mexico.
Iglesia de la Purísima Concepción is the third parish church built on this site in Álamos. Its exterior is stone and quarry stone in Baroque and Neoclassical style, with three round-arched entrances under quarry-stone porticos. Inside are a central nave and two side naves with round arches, a main altar and two side chapels with quarry-stone retables, plus a bell tower about 32 metres tall.
The church was built during the colonial period when Álamos was a major mining and trading center in the region. It underwent renovation later, blending new design ideas with its original religious purpose and structure.
The church is dedicated to the Virgin Mary under the title of the Immaculate Conception, whose feast is celebrated on 8 December. Inside are a small number of 19th- and early 20th-century statues of saints, reduced by looting during the French Intervention by republican troops under General Ángel Martínez and again in 1932 during the religious persecution in Sonora.
The church stands on the plaza of Álamos, in southern Sonora. The main entrance is through the three round-arched portals of the stone façade; the Italian clock added in 1821 still works and can be checked from outside. The interior has a central nave and two side aisles, so allow time to walk the full length.
The Italian clock added in 1821 still keeps time in the bell tower, which rises about 32 metres in three tiers. The facade records that the first stone was laid on 2 October 1802 by the Durango master Camilo de San Martín, who took over from the Querétaro architect Juan Ross.
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