Last updated: May 14, 2024
Place
La Parroquia Site (Cathedral Basilica of St. Francis of Assisi)
NPS Photo
Quick Facts
Location:
131 Cathedral Place, Santa Fe, New Mexico.
Significance:
Slowly enveloped La Parroquia (the parish church), a Santa Fe Trail landmark that was dismantled starting in 1884.
MANAGED BY:
Begun in 1869, this sandstone-block, neo- Romanesque Style church was never finished; its plans called for two 165-foot tall steeples and an 85-foot tall dome. It slowly enveloped La Parroquia (the parish church), a Santa Fe Trail landmark that was dismantled starting in 1884. In the north transept, a remnant of the early 1700s parish church, is a two-foot tall bulto (statue) of the oldest Marian figure in the U.S. It came here from Mexico in 1625. Hungary-born NYC sculptor Jeno Juszko’s seven-foot tall, bronze statue of Jean Baptiste Lamy honors the France-born cleric who arrived here in 1851. An energetic visionary, Lamy started a school for girls in 1853; a school for boys in 1858; and a hospital and orphanage in 1865. About 2,000 people viewed the statue’s 1915 unveiling.
Site Information
Location (131 Cathedral Place, Santa Fe, New Mexico)
More Site Information
El Camino Real de Tierra Adentro National Historic Trail
Santa Fe National Historic Trail
Old Spanish National Historic Trail
El Camino Real de Tierra Adentro, Old Spanish Trail, Santa Fe Trail: Santa Fe, New Mexico Itinerary
Santa Fe is the oldest capital city in the US, founded in 1610, and the highest in elevation at 7,000 ft. The city is the historic hub of the southwest, connecting three national historic trails: El Camino Real de Tierra Adentro, the Santa Fe Trail, and the Old Spanish Trail. This tour leads your from the busy plaza and other major tourist locations to lesser known sites along quiet, old Santa Fe streets.