Parroquia restoration continues - San Miguel de Allende

The painting of San Miguel de Allende’s most singular landmark, the Parroquia, has generated much discussion among residents and tourists. Although the neo-gothic historical landmark is under intensive and badly needed restoration work, its colorful “facelift” has been less than well received by sanmiguelenses.

The façade of the sandstone Parroquia suffered extreme deterioration from the elements and excrement from the thousands of pigeons that nest in the building. Painting the building is essentially a protection for the stone. Sandstone contains calcium carbonates that disintegrate over time with humidity and rain.

An investigation revealed that the Parroquia was painted on four different occasions, always in shades of orange, red and yellow. Traces of the façade’s original color were also discovered in an area of the choir loft where the later façade adjoined the original building.

Although it appears that the entire façade has been freshly painted, some areas still bear traces of the original paint. Such areas were not painted over but were cleaned and painted with a protective sealant. This process consolidation gives the paint a bright sheen and makes it look new even though it is simply restored.

For years the Parroquia’s façade has provided a refuge for thousands of pigeons. Their excrement, which is high in nitrates, has caused severe damage to the sandstone. Part of the restoration project included removing the excrement, which filled four and a half 200-liter barrels. The highly intensive manual labor consisted of scraping the stone with a rubber spatula and then washing it with water and soap, which could only be done in areas where there were no traces of original paint. Areas with traces of original paint were washed with ammonia to remove the excrement.