The Expiatorio Sanctuary of the Sacred Heart of Jesus arose from the efforts of the priest Bernardo Chavez and thousands of people of León who, since June 9, 1921, had donated their time and money over the years. Its neo-Gothic Revival architectural style is similar to that of the great European cathedrals.

In 1926, its construction was stopped for two reasons: flooding and the Cristero War.

The temple contains four chapels: the Virgin of Lourdes, the Virgin of the Light, the Sacred Heart and the Virgin of Guadalupe, and 2 altars beneath the temple are the catacombs made up of seven crypts where the remains of 919 thousand people lie. In this temple, the Blessed Sacrament is exposed 365 days a year.