Today, Faith on the Road takes us on a journey. This journey takes us north of Santa Fe along the “Enchanted Circle”. The “Enchanted Circle” is an 84 mile loop through Taos, Red River and Angel Fire and back to Taos.
Along the Road, we find two really cool, very old and still active Catholic Churches. San Fransisco De Asis and San Geronimo in the Taos Pueblo.
San Fransisco De Asis is one of the oldest Catholic Mission Churches in the United States. Originally the center of a small Mexican and Indian 18th Century agricultural community. San Fransisco De Asis construction began in 1772 and completed in 1816 replacing an earlier church in that location.
Next, we drive further along the loop to visit Taos Pueblo – an active Pueblo settlement. Also known as the place of the red willows, this community sits at the base of the Sangre de Cristo Mountains. The village, which is one of the oldest continuously inhabited communities in North America, continuously occupied for over 1000 years.
At Taos Pueblo, we found the San Geronimo Catholic Church. Not Gerónimo the Apache war chief but St. Jerome. But, neat fact, Geronimo is actually “Goyaałé. He came by the name of Geronimo because of the terror he struck into the hearts of the settlers in Arizona and New Mexico. When they saw him, they cried out prayers to St. Jerome…hence, the name Geronimo.
Taos Pueblo received its first Catholic Franciscan priest in 1598, when Juan de Onate, after establishing a Spanish settlement at San Gabriel, assigned Fray Francisco de Zamora as missionary to the Taos area. In 1627, Fray Benavides reported that the church was under construction. A small gem made of mud and straw. Sorry no pictures were permitted within the church.
“Ignorance of the Scriptures is ignorance of Christ.”
CCC: 112 – St. Jerome
Awesome pics!