1120 Canyon Road
Santa Fe, New Mexico 87505
505-983-8528
In the late 1930's the eastside of Santa fe did not have a church. Canyon Road was getting wider and there were about 283 families populating the alfalfa and corn fields up the valley to the mountains. On Sundays, there would be a procession of people walking down the paths to go to the Cathedral only to be relinquished to be at the back of the church, due to social and economic status.
This situation got very old and the folks on the eastside and they decided to build their own church. Some of residents were related to officials in city and state government and that set the tone for action. The Rodriguez, Sena and Catanach families donated some land for the purpose of building their own church, a church that would reflect the indigenous people not some structure from France. The pressure was on. They started to make their requests but did not get the answers they wanted. The archdiocese in Albuquerque was headed by the archbishop R. A. Gerkin. For almost two years, the answer was no. Finally, the the archbishop after being pressured by every politician in northern New Mexico, gave permission for a small church and he asked for a architect, and John Meem was acquired, who was the designer of the La Fonda Hotel. A contractor from Albuquerque was hired on to oversee the project to satisfy the archbishop's concerns for the project. Everything was well until another request was made.
The people in the eastside asked for more. They wanted to be the ones to build their church. So, The archbishop granted them the permission.
Another request came about from the parish, the archbishop was getting very tired of their requests by now, and they also wanted a retablo that was in storage in the back of the Cathedral. The archbishop was tired by this time and he said yes, fine go ahead. He did not realize the size of the retablo or alter screen would constitute the size of the church. The retablo was carved in 1760 by unknown Mexican artisans for Governor Francisco Marin del Valle. The stone was quarried northeast of Santa Fe and was destined for the military chaped on the plaza for the governor. This retablo was 20ft by 40 ft tall. After archbishop Lamy built the Cathedral, they had it in storage since 1888 collecting dust in crates.
The new contractor was less then knowledgeable and insensitive with the workers, he hired them and at the first task was making adobes. He questioned them about the straw. They all stopped. He did not know about adding straw to the adobes, they exclaimed, "Its like a man without a soul!" To this, he had to learn a lot from the men. There were 150,000 to 180,000 adobes made in the hot summer sun. There were 100 men to do the work and it only took 12 to 14 months to complete the church. The vigas were brought from the mountains in the east and peeled on site. They average weight of each viga is 2000 lbs. The corbels were made on site and all the wooden pews and confessionals were made by the boys at the diocesan Lourdes Trades School in Albuquerque. The church overall measures 350 ft. from one end to the end of the two-car garage which constitutes this church, the largest single constructed adobe structure in the southwest. The walls vary from 2ft. to 9ft. thick in some areas.
Finally, the archbishop drove up the six hour drive from Albuquerque to visit the job site and was astonished at the size and magnitude of the project. He was shocked and infuriated, then he was overcome with the beauty of the church and could not help himself to fall in love with the creation. This church is the hidden treasure of Santa Fe, not only because of its pueblo beauty, but because of the story of the love and dedication of the men and women of its parish that wanted their own church to worship in.
The first mass was on June 27, 1940, 14 months after the first adobe was made. The archbishop celebrated the 400th anniversary of the Spanish entry into New Mexico.