There are numerous churches in Santa Fe, many of historical significance. With next Sunday being Easter, I thought I'd take a moment for a brief look at several of them. Rather than write at length about each one - something that's been done numerous times and by people much more versed in the subject - I thought I'd touch on some photos I took.
Cathedral Basilica of St. Francis of Assisi sits one block from The Plaza. The cathedral was built between 1869 and 1886 on the site of an older adobe church. The major landmark of the downtown area, it draws scores of tourists and is an important part of the local Catholic community. I took this shot early on an autumn morning. Most photos of the Cathedral are taken from a straight on perspective, but as I was walking by, left to right, the sun hitting the leaves of tree caught my eye...
Loretto Chapel, famous for its "miraculous" helix-shaped spiral staircase, sits a few short blocks from the Cathedral. The chapel mainly functions as a museum now, but weddings are still held there on a regular basis. I took this shot the second time I was there. Between the low light in the chapel, which required slower shutter speeds, and numerous people coming in and out and walking up to the stairs, a good amount of patience is required to wait for the right moment to take a shot.
About two blocks down the Old Santa Fe Trail from Loretto Chapel sits San Miguel Mission (Chapel of San Miguel). The mission is claimed to be the oldest church in the United States, with construction beginning approximately in 1610. Though the church has been repaired and rebuilt numerous times over the years, it still stands strong. Sunday mass is still held there. This shot was taken the third or fourth time I visited the mission. I wasn't satisfied with any shots I got there previously, but this time, between the dramatic sky and finally finding a vantage point that excluded the buildings that sit closely on either side, I got my shot...
Nikon D7000, Nikkor 18-55 DX (top photo), Nikkor 35 DX (bottom 2 photos)
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