Sunday Morning Scene: Churches of the West: Cathedral Basilica of St. Francis of Assisi, Santa Fe, New Mexico

Churches of the West: Cathedral Basilica of St. Francis of Assisi, Santa...:

Cathedral Basilica of St. Francis of Assisi, Santa Fe, New Mexico

This is the Cathedral Basilica of St. Francis of Assisi in Santa Fe, New Mexico. This Catholic Cathedral was built from 1869 through 1886  in the Romanesque style, although the style is not completely obvious as the spires planned for the church, a prominent feature of that style, were never installed.

The cathedral was built on the location of an earlier church, La Parroquia, which had been built in 1714 through 1717, and which itself stood on the location of a church built in 1626 that had been destroyed in the Pueblo Revolt.  A small portion of the earlier church was incorporated in the construction of the cathedral.

An interesting feature of this church is that it is located only two blocks away from San Miguel church.  This tends to show the Catholic concentration of the community at the time these various churches were built, as they were being built in close proximity to each other.  Santa Fe retains at least one more downtown Catholic church today.

Sunday Morning Scene: Churches of the West: San Miguel Church, Santa Fe, New Mexico

Churches of the West: San Miguel Church, Santa Fe, New Mexico:

This church is the oldest church in the United States.  Built between 1610 and 1626, the church is still an active Catholic church offering two Masses on Sundays.

This church serves as a reminder that our concepts of North American settlement are often somewhat in error.  This church in is the American Southwest and has been in active use for over 400 years, a figure longer than any church in the American East, and a demonstration that much of what we associate with European civilization in North America was already further West at an early stage than we sometimes credit, and that what became the North American civilization was already less European, in significant ways. This church, for example was constructed by regional natives.

Some Gave All: Santa Fe Plaza Obelisk, Santa Fe Plaza, Santa Fe ...

Some Gave All: Santa Fe Plaza Obelisk, Santa Fe Plaza, Santa Fe ...:

 

 This is the Santa Fe Plaza Obelisk in the plaza for that city.

The plaza has been there since 1609. The monument since 1868.

1868 seems like quite awhile ago for most of us, although in thinking on it there's less time between when I was born and 1868 than there now is between the start of World War One and the present day.  Be that as it may, that certainly isn't as far back as 1609.

When we think of 1609, in North America, we tend to think of the east coast and early English colonist. But here, in 1609, the Spanish had established a presence in an area that was already settled, as this area was surrounded by Pueblo Indian communities.

I've posted a few other photos of old structures here recently, including the oldest house in the United States and the oldest church.  Santa Fe, for that matter, is the oldest capital city in the US, having been the capital of Nuevo Mexico since 1610.

We think of settlement in the country as going from east to west. But that wasn't always the case.  Here it had gone from south to north, sort of, if we don't consider too closely that the native inhabitants in this area built towns themselves.

And we tend not to think of how stable these communities were for a very long time.  Towns and cities in the west seem to boom and bust, but down here some have simply endured in their rural settings.  Major locations, although not with huge populations, that have proven very enduring.

Holscher's Hub: Route 66. When the highways used to run throught town.

Holscher's Hub: Route 66

 

Now, of course, the cross country highways go around towns.  This wasn't always true.  At one time, they went right through the center of town.

Sena Plaza

Sena Plaza

 

 The geopolitical history of the Southwest in a single location.

Painted Bricks: Evangelo's, Santa Fe New Mexico

Over on one of our other blogs, we posted this item:

Painted Bricks: Evangelo's, Santa Fe New Mexico:

Tavern sign for Evangelo's in Santa Fe, New Mexico, featuring the famous Life Magazine cover photograph of Angelo Klonis, the founder of the tavern. The late Mr. Klonis was a soldier during World War Two when this photograph of him ws taking by Life photographer Eugene Smith.  Konis, a Greek immigrant, opened this bar in his adopted home town in the late 1960s, at which time his identify as the soldier photographed by Smith was not widely known.

We also posted this on our blog Some Gave All.

There's some interesting things going on in this scene, that are worth at least noting.  For one thing, we have an iconic photograph of a U.S. soldier in World War Two, which is often mistaken for a photograph of a Marine given the helmet cover, appearing on the sign for a cocktail lounge in 2014.  Sort of unusual, but the fact that it was owned by teh soldier depicted explains that.

Note also, however, the dove with the olive branch, the symbol of peace.  Interesting really.  Perhaps a reflection of the views of the founder, who was a Greek immigrant who located himself in Santa Fe, went to war and then  came back to his adopted home town.

All on a building that is in the local adobe style, which not all of the buildings in downtown Santa Fe actually were when built.

I don't know what all we can take away from this, but it sends some interesting messages, intentional or not, to the careful observer.

The Oldest House in the United States, Santa Fe, New Mexico

The Oldest House in the United States, Santa Fe, N...:

This structure in Santa Fe exists on foundations dating back to approximately 1200, and was continually occupied up in to the 1920s.  Interestingly, it's directly across a very narrow street from San Miguel Church, the oldest church in the United States.

Postscript

It's been pointed out to me that I was remiss in not saying who had built the original foundation for the house.

This area of New Mexico has been occupied by Pueblo Indians of various groups for a very long time.  Natives from one of these bands constructed the original foundation, and Pueblo Indians from the Tano group occupied the pueblo in this area until around 1435 or so.  The area may have been vacant for some time thereafter, but was reoccupied by Tlaxcalen Indians, who came into the area with the Spanish in 1598.  They also built the nearby San Miguel Church.

Churches of the West: San Miguel Church, Santa Fe, New Mexico

Churches of the West: San Miguel Church, Santa Fe, New Mexico:

This church is the oldest church in the United States.  Built between 1610 and 1626, the church is still an active Catholic church offering two Masses on Sundays.
 

This church serves as a reminder that our concepts of North American settlement are often somewhat in error.  This church in is the American Southwest and has been in active use for over 400 years, a figure longer than any church in the American East, and a demonstration that much of what we associate with European civilization in North America was already further West at an early stage than we sometimes credit, and that what became the North American civilization was already less European, in significant ways. This church, for example was constructed by regional natives.