An Ecclesiastical Kind of Day in Santa Fe … Cont'd

Thursday, 9 July 2015 (Part II)
Santa Fe Skies RV Park — Santa Fe, New Mexico

In the previous post we had lunch in Historic Santa Fe and toured the Cathedral Basilica of St Francis of Assisi (post here).  Let’s continue our a-wanderin’ of the landmarks near the city’s famed Santa Fe Plaza.

Scanned copy of the map we picked up from the Visitor Center (marked with an “I”). Marked up to show where we had lunch at Café Pasqual’s (across the Water Street parking lot), and the landmarks we visited (green stars). Starting to the right of the Plaza: St Francis Cathedral and City Park; Loretto Chapel; and the Oldest Church and House. Click for a larger image.

Our next stop was not far.  But before we leave the cathedral gardens…

I want to share two more photos of what turned out to be my favorite sculpture of all the ones we saw around Santa Fe this afternoon — St Francis Dancing on Water.  Almost hidden in a tree on the far left of the courtyard when facing the cathedral, it is easy to miss … and that would be a shame.  I glimpsed it out of the corner of my eye as we were walking out of the gardens and detoured to take a closer look at it.

[Note (Sunday, 12 July): We stopped by the cathedral for a second time this afternoon and found ourselves making our way towards the dancing St Francis when it looked like it was turning; it wasn’t.  There were two women talking about the sculpture when we approached.  Mui asked if it turned when the water was running, and one of them responded that it did.  She went on to explain how the water makes a lovely sound as it flows through holes into the steel basin hidden behind the bronze overlay.  Her friend then piped up to say that the woman explaining the intricacies of the sculpture was actually Monika Kaden, the sculptor.  Small world … a lovely, unexpected encounter.]

I showed you a close up in the previous post of St Francis Dancing on Water.
He wasn’t dancing today as the fountain was turned off; but still worth a
look … some beautiful words are etched into the body of the sculpture.

Adjacent to the cathedral is what a sign near the gated entrance said is the City of Santa Fe Park.  But I think that sign was meant to simply state that the property is under the auspices of the City of Santa Fe as at the base of the memorial sculpture that is the focal point of the park a plaque read: Santa Fe Cathedral Park and Monument.

Panorama of Cathedral Park; the monument that is the focal point is at the end of the path ahead.

The monument “… commemorating the first European Settlers of New Mexico — the Spanish colonists of 1598 …” was installed in 2003.  It’s a four-sided sculpture depicting a representation of the 560 men, women, and children who established themselves in New Mexico, “… introducing European crops, and the first horses, sheep, goats, cattle, donkeys, and poultry — thereby establishing European culture and technology in the United States, where they had not previously existed. …”  (For more, click the link in the name of the park above.)

Atop a base held up by the animals the settlers brought with them, and a pedestal
covered with fruits, vegetables, tools, books and musical instruments brought here
by the settlers, are symbolic figures of a monk, a colonial family, and a Spanish soldier.
The sculpture is topped with a depiction of La Conquistadora.

Detail from the Settlers Monument.

From the park, we found our way to the Loretto Chapel, a former Roman Catholic Church which stands at the end of the Old Santa Fe Trail … the 19th century transportation route that connected Franklin, Missouri with Santa Fe.  Built between 1873-1878, the church was the first Gothic building west of the Mississippi at the time.  The inspiration for the church, named at the time as Our Lady of Light Chapel, came from King Louis IX's Sainte-Chapelle in Paris and stood in stark contrast to the other churches … all of which were built of adobe.  It was placed in the care of the Sisters of Loretto, who were the first to respond to Bishop Lamy’s plea for priests and nuns to preach to and teach his congregation of “… 6000 Catholics and 300 Americans.”

Left: The stone for the chapel was quarried from places around Santa Fe.

Center: The Gothic altar was introduced during the 1890’s.

Right: Purchased from Paris in 1876, the stained glass windows made
part of the journey to Santa Fe by covered wagons.

The Stations of the Cross were another addition to the Chapel in the 1890’s.
What I find interesting as we visit various ecclesiastical buildings today
is that the style of art for the Stations of the Cross are all varied.

The primary reason we were at the Loretto Chapel was to see the Miraculous Stairway … which legend has it was constructed, or at least inspired, by St Joseph the Carpenter sometime between 1877-1881.  We were surprised to see that there was admission charged here — $3/person.  Turns out the chapel was sold in 1971, deconsecrated as a Catholic chapel, and is now privately owned.  Having heard so much about the staircase, we decided to pay the fee.

There are Two mysteries attached to the helix-shaped staircase which leads to the choir loft.
One is the builder; the other is the the fact that the two 360° turns have no visible support.

Left: Simulation of how the staircase looked between 1879-1887.
Right: The banister was installed at the request of the Sisters of Loretto.

In keeping with what was turning out to be an ecclesiastical theme to our day, from the Loretto Chapel we continued our walk to the San Miguel Church.  The original adobe walls and altar were built by Tlaxcalan Indians from Mexico.  That much is not questioned.  Nor is the claim that it is the oldest church building in the US.  The actual age of the church is a different matter.  The first documentation of the church goes back to 1628, so it is generally accepted that it was built before then.  Oral history puts the date of construction around 1610; it has been rebuilt and restored several times over the intervening years. (For more on the history of the San Miguel Church, click the link I inserted above for a scan of the information I picked up from the chapel.)

The original church — Hermita de San Miguel — was built on the site of an ancient kiva.

Cast in 1356, legend has it that the famous bell of San Miguel is made from the gold and
silver plates and jewelry the people cast into the melting-pot with other metals.  This
bell is said to have sounded the defeat of the Moors in Spain.  It was then brought to
the new world to ring in the birth of Christianity in Mexico, before finding its way
to the City of the Holy Faith of St Francis of Assisi — the City of Santa Fe.
[More information about the bell is in this photo I took of an info pamphlet.]

The metal charms decorating the stand that holds up the bell are Milagros [miracles].
They are held as personal amulets or presented as an offering to a particular saint.

The wooden altar screen is one of the oldest in New Mexico; it was erected in 1798.
[A closer look at the altar is here.]

In the center of the reredos is a statue of San Miguel; carved in Mexico circa 1700.
[More about the altar is here.]

Our final stop of the day was at another “oldest” structure — not an ecclesiastical one … for a change.  Just down the street from the San Miguel Church, we visited the De Vargas House … said to be the oldest in the US.  There’s not a whole lot of information about the house, which some think could have been built as early as the 1200s.  A sign on the exterior dates it back to 1646.  Based on tree-ring dating, however, most agree that the Spanish Pueblo style house was constructed sometime between 1740-1767.  At the west end of the house is a replica room, and some artifacts.

This historic photo of the De Vargas House dates back to 1885, but tree-ring
samples taken from the house indicate a cutting date between 1740 and 1767,
which is when it is thought that the house was built.

The De Vargas House; photo taken circa 2015 ;-)
To visit the house, one must enter through the adjoining building, which houses a gift shop.

This room has adobe walls and a dirt floor.  I believe it is a replica to give
visitors a sense of what a similar room might have looked like back in the day.

Detail photographs from the Oldest House.

There was still plenty to see and do in Historic Santa Fe, but by the time we left the “oldest” house, the wearying heat was making us feel like the “oldest” people.  Time to head home and rest up — especially since we plan to be out and about again tomorrow.

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