Cathedral Basilica of St. Francis

The Cathedral Basilica of St. Francis of Assisi is a surprise in an adobe city: a tall, pale stone church in the Romanesque Revival style, with rounded arches, twin unfinished towers and a rose window. It was built between 1869 and 1886 under Archbishop Jean-Baptiste Lamy, a French priest sent to New Mexico after the American takeover. Lamy was the model for the hero of Willa Cather's novel Death Comes for the Archbishop, and his bronze statue stands in front of the building. The French stonemasons and the imported style he brought give the church a look unlike anything else in town. Step inside and the light changes. The nave is lofty, with stained glass windows, painted stations of the cross and a sense of European grandeur arranged around a New Mexican heart. At the side stands the small Chapel of Our Lady of the Rosary, which houses La Conquistadora, a carved wooden statue of the Virgin brought to Santa Fe in the 1620s and carried by the Spanish settlers when they fled the Pueblo Revolt and returned.

That chapel, along with a side wall, is all that remains of the earlier adobe church that stood on the site, and it connects the cathedral directly to the oldest layers of the city. Look also for the modern bronze doors showing scenes from the city's history, and for the quiet garden outside, which includes a statue of Saint Kateri Tekakwitha, the first Native American saint. The overall effect is of a sacred space shaped by many cultures, something that Santa Fe does better than most places.

The cathedral is a working church. Visitors are welcome outside service times, entry is free and donations are appreciated. Dress modestly, speak quietly, and avoid walking around during Mass. Check the parish calendar if you want to attend a service or hear the choir, since weekend and holiday liturgies can be moving even for those who are not religious. Photography is usually allowed without flash, but respect signs and worshippers.

It is a ten-minute browse for most people and a half-hour for those who enjoy architecture and history. The location makes it simple to combine with other downtown stops: the Loretto Chapel is a block or two away, the Plaza is at the end of the street, and the New Mexico History Museum is nearby. On a hot afternoon the cool stone interior is a welcome retreat from the sun.

For readers of Willa Cather, the building is almost a pilgrimage site, and the novel is the best pre-trip reading. Fans of architecture will enjoy comparing this European-style church with the adobe mission churches elsewhere in the region, such as San Miguel Chapel nearby or the churches along the High Road to Taos. The contrast tells you a lot about how much cultural weight sat on this small, high-desert capital.

The cathedral also serves as a quiet counterweight to the busy Plaza. If you have been shopping or walking all morning, ten minutes inside is a pleasant way to reset. For visitors interested in religious art, the New Mexican tradition of santos, painted and carved holy figures, is best seen in museums and small chapels, but the cathedral gives you the European side of the story to compare. Its bells sound across the downtown on Sundays, a sound many visitors remember.