Another wow step on our journey with ‘Faith on the Road.’ We spend a day in Santa Fe, New Mexico starting at the Cathedral Basilica of St. Francis. This is an incredibly beautiful and colorful campus in the heart of historic Santa Fe. This is a must see for anyone near Santa Fe.
The cathedral was built by Archbishop Jean Baptiste Lamy between 1869 and 1886 on the site of an older adobechurch, La Parroquia (built in 1714–1717). An older church on the same site, built in 1626, was destroyed in the 1680 Pueblo Revolt. The new cathedral was built around La Parroquia, which was dismantled once the new construction was complete. A small chapel on the north side of the cathedral was kept from the old church.
The side chapel to the left of the main altar honors our Lady as La Conquistadora (Our Lady of the Conquest or Our Lady the Conqueror) – Madonna and Child. The statue’s origins are not well-known, but the 15th and 17th centuries are the most likely possibilities. Her arrival into America was made possible by the Spanish, who carried several versions of The Virgin Mary with them on their travels. There is a long history of armies carrying statues of saints into battle, for various purposes. Although the exact date of the statue’s arrival in the New World is unknown, the Madonna was brought to New Mexico via Mexico City by priest Fray Alonso de Benavides, arriving in Santa Fe on January 25, 1626.
A last joy as we walked toward the Loretto Chapel – the bells rang strong and true of the joy and victory of Christ over the world and it’s leaders.