The
Cathedral Basilica of Saint Francis of Assisi, commonly known as
Saint Francis Cathedral, is a Roman Catholic cathedral in downtown
Santa Fe, New Mexico. It is the
mother church of the
Archdiocese of Santa Fe.
The cathedral was built by Archbishop
Jean Baptiste Lamy between 1869 and 1886 on the site of an older
adobe church, La Parroquia (built in 1714–1717).
An older church on the same site, built in 1626, was destroyed in the 1680
Pueblo Revolt. The new cathedral was built around La Parroquia, which was dismantled once the new construction was complete. A small chapel on the north side of the cathedral was kept from the old church.
Influenced by the French-born Archbishop Lamy and in dramatic contrast to the surrounding adobe structures, Saint Francis Cathedral was designed in the
Romanesque Revival style. As such, the cathedral features characteristic round
arches separated by
Corinthian columns and truncated square towers. The large
rose window in front and those of the
Twelve Apostles in the lateral nave windows were imported from
Clermont-Ferrand in France. The towers were originally planned to be topped with dramatic 160-foot (49 m)
steeples, but due to lack of funds, these were never built. The left tower is a single row of bricks taller than the right tower. The cathedral was built from yellow
limestone blocks quarried near the present site of
Lamy.
A 2005 addition to the upper facade of the cathedral is a small, round window featuring a
dove, the symbol of the
Holy Spirit. It is a
stained glass replica of the translucent
alabaster window designed in the 17th-century by the Italian artist
Bernini for
St. Peter's Basilica in
Vatican City.
The Cathedral of Saint Francis of Assisi was officially elevated to a
basilica by
Pope Benedict XVI on October 4, 2005, when it was named the Cathedral Basilica of Saint Francis of Assisi.