St. Francis Cathedral (Santa Fe)

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St. Francis Cathedral
inner space

The Cathedral of St. Francis or the Cathedral Basilica of St. Francis of Assisi ( English Cathedral of St. Francisco; Cathedral Basilica of St. Francis of Assisi ) is a Roman Catholic church in downtown Santa Fe , capital of the US state of New Mexico . The cathedral of the Archdiocese of Santa Fe is dedicated to the city patron Francis of Assisi and bears the title of a minor basilica . It is part of the central Santa Fe Plaza, a National Historic Landmark .

history

In 1626 Brother Alonso Benavides brought the statue of Our Lady of the Rosary to Santa Fe, for which a chapel was built. During the Pueblo Uprising , the statue was brought to safety from the chapel's destruction in 1680, but returned in 1693 with the peaceful return of the Spanish settlers. It was renamed La Conquistadora in order that the natives would peacefully accept it. The nearly three-foot tall Madonna is the earliest statue of the Virgin Mary brought to the territory of what is now the United States.

Instead of the adobe church La Parroquia, built between 1714 and 1717, the later Archbishop Jean Baptiste Lamy built the new cathedral around the old church between 1869 and 1886, which was demolished after the new building was completed. A small chapel on the north side of the cathedral has been preserved from the old church. The cathedral was designed in the neo-Romanesque style under the influence of the French-born Archbishop Lamy and in dramatic contrast to the surrounding adobe buildings .

The cathedral was built on October 4th, 2005 by Pope Benedict XVI. officially elevated to the status of a basilica and made the cathedral basilica of St. Francis of Assisi.

description

As a neo-Romanesque building, the cathedral has characteristic round arches, which are separated by Corinthian columns and blunt square towers. The large rose window above the entrance and the twelve apostles in the side windows of the nave were imported from Clermont-Ferrand in France. Originally the towers were supposed to be 49 meters high, but due to a lack of funds, they were never completed. The cathedral was built from blocks of yellow limestone quarried nearby. An addition to the cathedral's upper facade from 2005 is a small, round window with a dove, the symbol of the Holy Spirit. It is a replica of the translucent alabaster window that Gian Lorenzo Bernini designed for St. Peter's Basilica in Rome in the 17th century . 

Sanctuary

During the 1986 restoration, new doors were created, each with ten bronze panels depicting events in the history of the Santa Fe Church. Donna Quasthoff was the commissioned sculptor [4]. The baptismal font is in the middle of the nave. It is made of Brazilian granite and was consecrated on June 3, 2001. The eight-sided shape represents the eighth day or Easter, which marks God's new creation through the resurrection of Jesus Christ. The basin is cross-shaped, with three steps that represent the three days between Jesus' crucifixion and his resurrection. The groove symbolizes the four evangelists who cast their nets to catch people. Its location directly between the doors and the altar is representative of the path of faith. To the south is the Ambry cabinet, where the oils for the sacraments are kept.

The Stations of the Cross are located along the walls around the nave . The original artwork was created in the style of the New Mexico Mission. The French archbishops gradually removed the art and painted the walls white. In 1997 the archbishop began restoring the historic interior. The stations are designed in the Santero style by Marie Romero Cash. Roberto Montoya carved the frames in the Spanish style.

The chapel of La Conquistadora with the Madonna is reserved for prayer. The window wall along the south transept was added during the 1986 renovation. Representations of the Apostles and the Holy Family by the artist Andrea Bacigalupa are etched into the glass. The stained glass in the chapel was made in France and depicts the Eucharist.

The retable was created in 1986 for the cathedral's 100th anniversary. In the center is a statue of St. Francis from the 18th century. He is surrounded by painted images of New World saints. Above the altar is a replica of the Cross of San Damiano , the crucifix in Assisi, Italy. Immediately behind the chancel is the entrance to the crypt . The archbishop's chair is to the north, next to a pillar.

Kateri Tekakwitha

Surroundings

Various statues stand in front of the cathedral. The statue of St. Francis was erected during the renovation of the cathedral in 1967. In 2003 a statue was erected for Kateri Tekakwitha (1656–1680). She was beatified as the first North American Indian, their canonization took place in October 2012. She was a algonquisch - mohawkstämmige woman from the state of New York , who converted to Christianity at an early age. Another statue is Archbishop Jean-Baptiste Lamy.

Then there are the Stations of the Cross , with fourteen life-size sculptures by Gib Singleton. They represent the stages before the crucifixion of Jesus as they were developed by St. Francis of Assisi. The prayer garden is located in the remains of Bishop Lamys' once extensive gardens in the cathedral grounds.

Web links

Commons : Cathedral of St. Francis  - collection of images, videos and audio files

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ Cathedral Basilica of St. Francis of Assisi on gcatholic.org
  2. ↑ Santa Fe Historic District on npgallery.nps.gov (English)
  3. ^ "La Conquistadora Chapel" , List of contributing properties
  4. ↑ a b c d e f g Welcome Bienvenidos !; The Cathedral Basilica of St. Francis of Assisi; Santa Fe, New Mexico
  5. ↑ Frey Angelico Chavez: The Santa Fe Cathedral of Saint Francis of Assisi. 1947, 1995, pp. 26-27.
  6. ^ Statue Honors Catholic Indian - St. Francis Basilica to Add Indian Woman Statue , August 2003

Coordinates: 35 ° 41 ′ 11.4 ″  N , 105 ° 56 ′ 9.6 ″  W.