Experts' Choice Award The Cathedral Basilica of St. Francis of Assisi
What the experts agree on
Santa Fe's most photographed building, this Romanesque cathedral breaks from adobe tradition with honey-colored stone. Built by Italian stonemasons under Archbishop Lamy, it houses the oldest U.S. Madonna icon and inspired Willa Cather's novel.
“A wooden icon set in a niche in the wall of the north chapel, Our Lady of Peace, is the oldest representation of the Madonna in the United States.”
– Frommer's
Fodor's "The iconic cathedral, a block east of the Plaza, is one of the rare significant departures from the city's nearly ubiquitous Pueblo architecture." Full review
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In the main doorway arch... speculated that Bishop Lamy had this carved and placed to honor the Jewish merchants of Santa Fe
Travel + Leisure "Santa Fe's most photographed building." Full review
Travel + Leisure "The stalwart Romanesque church, built by Italian stonemasons, is memorialized in Willa Cather’s 1927 novel, “Death Comes for the Archbishop.”
" Full review
Michelin Guide 1 Star
"Intended to resemble great cathedrals of Europe... it is not built in adobe style." Full review
Michelin Guide 1 Star
"Under the impetus of Archbishop Jean-Baptiste Lamy and unlike other local churches, this late-19C cathedral is not built out of adobe but out of the local honey-colored stone." Full review
National Geographic "Located a block away from the Plaza, the Romanesque-style Cathedral Basilica of St. Francis of Assisi was built between 1869 and 1886 by Archbishop Jean-Baptiste Lamy, the first..."
Lonely Planet "The Cathedral Basilica de Saint Francis of Assisi, otherwise known as Saint Francis Cathedral, is a Santa Fe landmark that overlooks the city's Plaza from the east end. Rich in history,..."
Lonely Planet "Looking east from the plaza you will come face to face with the Cathedral Basilica of St. Francis de Assisi, built by Archbishop Jean Btiste Lamy between 1869 and 1886 in the Romanesque..."
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