San Francisco de Asis Mission Church

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San Francisco de Asis Mission Church

Mission Church of Ranchos de Taos
San Francisco de Asis Mission Church is located in New Mexico
Shown within New Mexico
Basic information
Location The Plaza of Ranchos de Taos, New Mexico
 USA
Geographic coordinates 36°21′31″N 105°36′28″W / 36.3586°N 105.6078°W / 36.3586; -105.6078Coordinates: 36°21′31″N 105°36′28″W / 36.3586°N 105.6078°W / 36.3586; -105.6078
Affiliation Roman Catholic
Architectural description
Architect(s) Unknown
Architectural style Spanish
Completed 1772
U.S. National Historic Landmark
Added to NRHP: April 15, 1970[2]
NRHP Reference No. 70000416
Designated as NHL: April 15, 1970[1]

San Francisco de Asis Mission Church is a church built between 1772 and 1816. It is located on the plaza in Ranchos de Taos, itself a historic district named Ranchos de Taos Plaza, about four miles southwest of the town of Taos, New Mexico.

Construction on the church began around 1772[3][4] and was completed in 1815[3] by Franciscan Fathers and its patron is Saint Francis of Assisi. It is made of adobe as are many of the Spanish missions in New Mexico. It is located a few miles south of Taos Pueblo and has inspired among the greatest number of depictions of any building in the United States.[5] It was the subject of four[citation needed] paintings by Georgia O'Keeffe,[6][7] and photographs by Ansel Adams and Paul Strand. Georgia O'Keeffe described it as, "one of the most beautiful buildings left in the United States by the early Spaniards."[5] The Taos Chamber of Commerce states that the building is "one of the most photographed and painted churches in the world".[8]

It was declared a National Historic Landmark in 1970.[2][9] It is also designated as a World Heritage church.[10]

Contents

Gallery [edit]

  • Historic photograph of the church's front exterior, 1934.

  • Historic photograph of the church exterior, 1934.

  • Historic photograph of the church interior, 1934.

  • Front exterior

  • The famous rear exterior

  • Main altar, repainted 1981.

  • One of the two altars in the church interior.

See also [edit]

References [edit]

  1. ^ "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service. 2008-04-15. 
  2. ^ a b "San Francisco de Asis Mission Church". National Historic Landmark summary listing. National Park Service. Retrieved 2008-06-21. 
  3. ^ a b Hooker, Van Dorn. Centuries of Hands: An Architectural History of St. Francis of Assisi Church, p15. Sunstone Press (1996), ISBN 0-86534-234-2.
  4. ^ Ranchos de Taos. The Columbia Gazetteer of North America. 2000
  5. ^ a b Charles C. Eldredge (1993). Georgia O'Keeffe: American and Modern, p198. Yale University Press. ISBN 0-300-05581-1.
  6. ^ 1971.16 | Amon Carter Museum, Fort Worth, Texas
  7. ^ Georgia O'Keeffe - Learning
  8. ^ "Pilgrimage to the Mission Churches" (PDF). Taos Chamber of Commerce. Retrieved 2012-12-10. 
  9. ^ Charles W. Snell (May 1, 1968) National Register of Historic Places Inventory-Nomination: San Francisco de Assisi Mission Church, National Park Service and Accompanying photos, exterior and interior, from 19
  10. ^ Giga-Catholic Information

Further reading [edit]

  • Spirit and Vision: Images of Ranchos de Taos Church. 1987, Museum of New Mexico Press. ISBN 0-89013-170-8. 80 images of the church, from a 1982 exhibition at the Museum of Fine Arts, Santa Fe.

External links [edit]

Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Rancho de Taos church


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