Cathedral Basilica of St. Francis of Assisi
Type: Architecture, Religious Sites, Sightseeing
Last updated on June 29, 2015
10Best Says
The Cathedral Basilica of St. Francis de Assisi, begun in 1869 and completed in the mid-1850s, is at the end of San Francisco Street a block from the historic Santa Fe Plaza. You may recognize it from... Read More
The Cathedral Basilica of St. Francis de Assisi, begun in 1869 and completed in the mid-1850s, is at the end of San Francisco Street a block from the historic Santa Fe Plaza. You may recognize it from B-roll footage for any TV show ever shot in Santa Fe. It was built by Archbishop Jean Baptiste Lamy (immortalized in Willa Cather's classic novel "Death Comes to the Archbishop"), a controversial figure in Santa Fe's history. The church is an interesting blend of traditional Romanesque Catholic Church elements fused with New Mexican touches such as the Stations of the Cross done as retablos (devotional paintings) and bultos (carved saints). As you enter, note the Hebrew symbol for God (the Tetragrammaton) above the door. There are many stories of why it's there, but none have been conclusively verified.
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EXPERT TIPS BY:
Billie Frank
Santa Fe Local Expert
- Free Things to Do: "Visit La Conquistadora (Our Lady of the Rosary) in the original 18th century parrochia. The oldest statue of the Blessed Virgin in the USA, she arrived in Santa Fe in 1625, was rescued from the Pueblo Revolt of 1680 and returned with the Spanish in 1692."
- Best for Free Things to Do Because: The Cathedral Basilica of St. Francis de Assisi is an important part of Santa Fe history and should not be missed.
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