This
magnificent cathedral is a rare departure from Santa Fe's
ubiquitous Pueblo architecture. Construction was begun
in 1869 by Santa Fe's first archbishop, Jean Baptiste
Lamy (the inspiration behind Willa Cather's 1927 novel
Death Comes for the Archbishop), working with French architects
and Italian stonemasons. A small adobe chapel on the northeast
side of the cathedral, the remnant of an earlier church,
reflects the Hispanic architectural influence absent from
the cathedral. The chapel's Nuestra Señora de la
Paz (Our Lady of Peace), also known as La Conquistadora,
is the oldest Madonna statue in the United States. Just
south of the cathedral, where the parking lot meets Paseo
de Peralta, is the Archives of the Archdiocese Museum,
a small museum where many of the area's historic, liturgical
artifacts are on view.
Hours: Daily 8-5:45, except during mass. Mass celebrated
Mon.-Sat. at 7 and 8:15 AM, 12:10 and 5:15 PM; Sun. at
6, 8, and 10 AM, noon, and 7 PM. Museum weekdays 9-4.
Admission:
FREE. Donation suggested. |
