Isnotu

Isnotú is a small Andean village and it exists on the map for one reason: José Gregorio Hernández was born here in 1864. A physician who treated the poor without charge and died in a street accident in 1919, he became the object of an enormous popular devotion long before the church acted, and he was beatified in 2021 and canonised in 2025. The village holds a sanctuary, his birthplace and a plaza covered in plaques of thanks from people across the country.

Background

Bishop Mariano Martí founded Isnotú on April 13, 1777, and the town took its name from the Isnotúes, the Indigenous people who lived in the area when it was settled. Caracas lies roughly 269 miles (433 km) to the east, and the average daytime temperature here is 25 °C (77 °F). The Santuario was built in thanks for healings attributed to Dr. Hernández and described as miraculous, and thousands of people come to see it every day.

Source: Wikipedia, "Isnotú, Trujillo, Venezuela"

What you'll find

• The sanctuary - the shrine church built for the pilgrimage.
• The birthplace - the house where Hernandez was born in 1864.
• The plaques of thanks - walls of ex-voto tablets left by pilgrims.
• The village setting - a small Andean village given over to the pilgrimage.

When to go

December to April is driest. The anniversary dates in October and June bring the largest crowds. Weekends are busier than weekdays.

What to expect

The village is small and given over almost entirely to religious retail. There is little to see beyond the shrine and the house. Facilities are limited.

Nearby

Valera is south-east, and the Virgen de la Paz is beyond it.