A Visit toSanta Fé

If you’ve followed this blog for very long, you’re probably aware that I’m not fond of cities, with the possible exception of Seattle. Needless to say, I was surprised at how much I enjoyed Santa Fé. It certainly didn’t hurt that Greg took us on a tour. I’m sure it would have been a very different experience if we had just visited on our own.

Although we saw a very small portion of the area, I was impressed by how many homes and businesses had adopted the traditional adobe style, like the El Dorado Hotel.

Our tour also doubled down on visiting Catholic churches with a stop at The Cathedral Basilica of St. Francis of Assisi. Religious or not, it’s impossible to deny that religions have inspired artists.

Considering how many adobe churches we had seen since entering New Mexico, it seemed a little strange that this church was built in the Romanesque Revival style. One of the guides told us that he cathedral was built by Archbishop Jean Baptiste Lamy on the site of an older adobe church.

We also stopped at Loretto Chapel which featured this famous spiral staircase which seems to lack any central support.

As a semi-serious woodworker, I’ll have to admit that I was awed by the skill it took to build this.

Apparently this church was also commissioned by Archbishop Jean Baptiste Lamy,

and was inspired by a famous French church. French or not, this simple, yet over-the-top, altar struck me as truly beautiful.