Cathedral Basilica of St. Francis of Assisi, Santa Fe (must see)

Santa Fe’s Cathedral Basilica of Saint Francis of Assisi reflects the vision of Archbishop Jean-Baptiste Lamy. Construction began in 1869, and the stone church was dedicated in 1887, although work continued in stages afterward. Determined to create a cathedral comparable to those of his native France, Lamy commissioned a monumental building that towered above Santa Fe’s low adobe skyline.

Lamy sought to reform local Catholic practices and considered the existing adobe parish church inadequate for his growing diocese. The Romanesque Revival cathedral was therefore built around the earlier church, which dated from 1714 and remained in use during construction. Once the new walls were complete, most of the adobe structure was dismantled and carried out through the cathedral’s entrance.

After entering through the main doors, look straight ahead toward the eastern end of the building. The main altar occupies the raised sanctuary at the far end of the central aisle. Immediately behind it is the monumental altar screen, installed in 1987 for the centenary of the cathedral’s dedication. The central figure is an 18th-century statue of Saint Francis of Assisi, surrounded by painted images of saints from North and South America, including Kateri Tekakwitha, the 17th-century Mohawk woman canonized in 2012.

One of the cathedral’s most treasured objects is La Conquistadora, a small wooden statue of the Virgin Mary brought to New Mexico from Spain during the 17th century. To find it, walk down the nave toward the altar and turn into the north transept just before reaching the sanctuary. This small adobe chapel is the only surviving portion of the earlier parish church. The wooden statue of the Virgin Mary stands above the chapel altar, dressed in elaborate robes and framed by a carved and gilded reredos assembled from 18th-century altar sections.

Before leaving, return to the western end of the nave and examine the main cast-bronze entrance doors. Their relief panels illustrate episodes from the history of Catholicism in New Mexico, from the arrival of missionaries and construction of the cathedral to the flight of Spanish colonists during the Pueblo Revolt of 1680. Together, they offer a compact visual account of the cathedral’s long and sometimes turbulent past.