San Juan del Obispo is a small village (''pueblo'') in

Guatemala Guatemala ( ; ), officially the Republic of Guatemala ( es, República de Guatemala, links=no), is a country in Central America. It is bordered to the north and west by Mexico; to the northeast by Belize and the Caribbean; to the east by H ...

. It is located in the

department Department may refer to: * Departmentalization, division of a larger organization into parts with specific responsibility Government and military *Department (administrative division), a geographical and administrative division within a country, ...

of Sacatepéquez, close to the departmental capital,

Antigua Guatemala Antigua Guatemala (), commonly known as Antigua or La Antigua, is a city in the central highlands of Guatemala. The city was the capital of the Captaincy General of Guatemala from 1543 through 1773, with much of its Baroque-influenced architec ...

. The village is famous for holding one of the first

Catholic The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with 1.3 billion baptized Catholics worldwide . It is among the world's oldest and largest international institutions, and has played a ...

churches in Guatemala. Francisco Marroquín, the first bishop of Guatemala, resided in San Juan del Obispo (hence the name). The church was restored in 1948 by José Luis Álvarez. A long string of overseas volunteers have lived and worked voluntarily in the village, providing education and a safe environment for children from poor homes in the areas surrounding the volcano side.

References

Populated places in the Sacatepéquez Department Catholic Church in Guatemala {{Guatemala-geo-stub