About San Juan Nepomuceno (Historic Church) · El Rito, New Mexico
San Juan Nepomuceno is a historic Catholic parish and church in the village of El Rito, New Mexico, nestled in the high country of Rio Arriba County. Its thick-walled adobe church, begun in 1827 and completed in 1832, is one of the oldest surviving houses of worship in New Mexico and is renowned as a jewel of colonial Hispanic sacred architecture. Today the parish remains a spiritual home for the local community and also serves seven active mission churches across the surrounding mountain villages.
- Established
- 1827-1832
- Patron
- Saint John of Nepomucene (San Juan Nepomuceno)
- Rector
- Rev. Benjamin Onwumelu
- Diocese
- Archdiocese of Santa Fe
Why belong here
Ideal for those drawn to historic New Mexican Catholic life, intimate village worship, and a parish that still shepherds a broad rural mission territory in the mountains north of Santa Fe.
Mass times at San Juan Nepomuceno (Historic Church)
Weekly Mass schedule
Confession times
- Sunday: 8:30am-9:00am
Adoration times
- Thursday: 8:30am-9:30am
History & Architecture
San Juan Nepomuceno was built by the first Spanish settlers of the El Rito Valley between 1827 and 1832. Its cruciform plan, thick adobe walls, and heavy vigas reflect the frontier church-fortress tradition of northern New Mexico. The interior was modified in the mid-1800s under French clergy, but later restoration work returned much of the original colonial Hispanic character.
Restoration
After a partial collapse in 1979, the church was rebuilt and reopened by 1982. A 2017 assessment by Cornerstones Community Partnerships led to community-funded exterior mud-plaster repairs.
Mission Churches
The parish cares for seven mission churches in the surrounding villages, offering rotating Friday Masses at 5:00pm from June through September.
- Cañon Plaza
- La Madera
- Ojo Caliente
- Las Placitas
- Las Tablas
- Servilleta Plaza
- Vallecitos