San Felipe de Neri Church () is a historic

Catholic The Catholic Church (), also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the List of Christian denominations by number of members, largest Christian church, with 1.27 to 1.41 billion baptized Catholics Catholic Church by country, worldwid ...

church Church may refer to: Religion * Church (building), a place/building for Christian religious activities and praying * Church (congregation), a local congregation of a Christian denomination * Church service, a formalized period of Christian comm ...

located on the north side of Old Town Plaza in

Albuquerque Albuquerque ( ; ), also known as ABQ, Burque, the Duke City, and in the past 'the Q', is the List of municipalities in New Mexico, most populous city in the U.S. state of New Mexico, and the county seat of Bernalillo County, New Mexico, Bernal ...

New Mexico New Mexico is a state in the Southwestern United States, Southwestern region of the United States. It is one of the Mountain States of the southern Rocky Mountains, sharing the Four Corners region with Utah, Colorado, and Arizona. It also ...

. Built in 1793, it is one of the oldest surviving buildings in the city and the only building in Old Town proven to date to the Spanish colonial period. The church is listed on the

New Mexico State Register of Cultural Properties The New Mexico State Register of Cultural Properties is a register of historic and prehistoric properties located in the state of New Mexico. It is maintained by the New Mexico Historic Preservation Division of the New Mexico Department of Cultural ...

and the

National Register of Historic Places The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the Federal government of the United States, United States federal government's official United States National Register of Historic Places listings, list of sites, buildings, structures, Hist ...

with and has remained in continuous use for over 200 years. San Felipe de Neri replaced an older church, dating to the founding of Albuquerque in 1706, which collapsed in the winter of 1792–3. From its founding until 1817, church was run by

Franciscan The Franciscans are a group of related organizations in the Catholic Church, founded or inspired by the Italian saint Francis of Assisi. They include three independent Religious institute, religious orders for men (the Order of Friars Minor bei ...

missionaries. During the

Victorian era In the history of the United Kingdom and the British Empire, the Victorian era was the reign of Queen Victoria, from 20 June 1837 until her death on 22 January 1901. Slightly different definitions are sometimes used. The era followed the ...

, under the influence of Bishop Jean-Baptiste Lamy, the church was remodeled with

Gothic Revival Gothic Revival (also referred to as Victorian Gothic or neo-Gothic) is an Architectural style, architectural movement that after a gradual build-up beginning in the second half of the 17th century became a widespread movement in the first half ...

elements, including bell towers, a new pitched roof, and interior decorations, to give it a more European appearance. This combination of elements from different periods and traditions makes the church notable architecturally as well as historically.

History

First church

The church was established in 1706 under the direction of Fray Manuel Moreno, a

missionary who was among the original settlers of Albuquerque. The first baptism was recorded on June 26 of that year, though the church building may not have been completed until later. Its exact location is uncertain, but it is thought to have been on a different site than the current building, possibly on the west side of the plaza. The church was originally dedicated to

St. Francis Xavier Francis Xavier, SJ (born Francisco de Jasso y Azpilicueta; ; ; ; ; ; 7 April 15063 December 1552), venerated as Saint Francis Xavier, was a Navarrese cleric and missionary. He co-founded the Society of Jesus and, as a representative o ...

, but the Viceroy ordered the patron saint changed to St. Philip Neri in July 1706 to honor King Philip V. In 1776 the church was inspected by Fray Atanasio Domínguez, who wrote that it faced east with an attached convent on the south side and was surrounded by a walled cemetery. Domínguez also encountered some confusion as to the church's patron saint, which the local people evidently still believed to be Francis Xavier. Domínguez had a painting of the correct saint installed and the church has been known as San Felipe de Neri since. The church was apparently allowed to deteriorate in the late 1700s to the point where it collapsed during the winter of 1792–93.

Second church

The governor, Fernando de la Concha, called the church collapse a disgrace and ordered everyone in the surrounding area to help in constructing a replacement as soon as possible. The new church was begun in 1793 and had a more sophisticated design than the old building, with a cruciform rather than rectangular plan and twin bell towers. A convento was added on the east side for the Franciscan friars who operated the parish. In 1817, the administration of San Felipe de Neri was transferred to the Diocese of Durango, as the Franciscans had outlived their intended missionary role and were draining the province's funds by continuing to draw a sizable government subsidy. In fact, provincial authorities had been trying to remove them since 1767. Under the influence of Bishop (later Archbishop) Jean-Baptiste Lamy during the 1850s and 60s, the church was remodeled to give it a more Anglo appearance, with a pitched roof, vernacular

spires, and a new altar and pulpit painted to look like marble. In 1867, Lamy handed control of the parish to Italian

Jesuit The Society of Jesus (; abbreviation: S.J. or SJ), also known as the Jesuit Order or the Jesuits ( ; ), is a religious order (Catholic), religious order of clerics regular of pontifical right for men in the Catholic Church headquartered in Rom ...

s, who oversaw the construction of Our Lady of the Angels School in 1878 and a convent for the

Sisters of Charity Many religious communities have the term Sisters of Charity in their name. Some ''Sisters of Charity'' communities refer to the Vincentian tradition alone, or in America to the tradition of Saint Elizabeth Ann Seton (whose sisters are also of ...

(who ran the school) in 1881. In 1890, the rectory was rebuilt with a second story, a new

portico A portico is a porch leading to the entrance of a building, or extended as a colonnade, with a roof structure over a walkway, supported by columns or enclosed by walls. This idea was widely used in ancient Greece and has influenced many cu ...

, and a widow's walk. The church interior was remodeled again in 1916, giving it a new floor and a pressed tin ceiling. In 1965, administration of the church was returned to the

Archdiocese of Santa Fe In church governance, a diocese or bishopric is the ecclesiastical district under the jurisdiction of a bishop. History In the later organization of the Roman Empire, the increasingly subdivided provinces were administratively associated ...

. It remains a functioning parish church.

Architecture

San Felipe de Neri is cruciform in plan with thick

adobe Adobe (from arabic: الطوب Attub ; ) is a building material made from earth and organic materials. is Spanish for mudbrick. In some English-speaking regions of Spanish heritage, such as the Southwestern United States, the term is use ...

walls, wooden vigas, and carved corbels dating to the original 18th century construction. Like most colonial churches in New Mexico, it uses the aisleless (single-

nave The nave () is the central part of a church, stretching from the (normally western) main entrance or rear wall, to the transepts, or in a church without transepts, to the chancel. When a church contains side aisles, as in a basilica-type ...

) plan with a polygonal

apse In architecture, an apse (: apses; from Latin , 'arch, vault'; from Ancient Greek , , 'arch'; sometimes written apsis; : apsides) is a semicircular recess covered with a hemispherical Vault (architecture), vault or semi-dome, also known as an ' ...

. The apse, transepts, and crossing have a raised ceiling, and there is a low choir loft over the main entrance. The church is notable for its fusion of elements from different periods, with a "skin" of Victorian embellishments applied to the more traditional adobe forms. The exterior features twin bell towers, added around 1861, which show a vernacular adaptation of the

style using local materials. Interior details from the same period include the

altar An altar is a table or platform for the presentation of religion, religious offerings, for sacrifices, or for other ritualistic purposes. Altars are found at shrines, temples, Church (building), churches, and other places of worship. They are use ...

and

pulpit A pulpit is a raised stand for preachers in a Christian church. The origin of the word is the Latin ''pulpitum'' (platform or staging). The traditional pulpit is raised well above the surrounding floor for audibility and visibility, accesse ...

, which are constructed from wood painted to look like marble, tongue-and-groove

wainscoting Panelling (or paneling in the United States) is a millwork wall covering constructed from rigid or semi-rigid components. These are traditionally interlocking wood, but could be plastic or other materials. Panelling was developed in antiquity t ...

, and wooden cabinetry in the

sacristy A sacristy, also known as a vestry or preparation room, is a room in Christianity, Christian churches for the keeping of vestments (such as the alb and chasuble) and other church furnishings, sacred vessels, and parish records. The sacristy is us ...

. The pressed tin ceiling was added in 1916.

Other buildings

The church property includes several ancillary buildings which are also of historical interest.

Rectory

The rectory, also known as Moreno Hall, stands east of the church on the site of the original convento built in the 1790s. Rebuilt around 1890 by the Jesuits, the present rectory is a rectangular, two-story building of stuccoed brick with a wide

, cross-gabled roof, and widow's walk. The west gable has a decorative octagonal window, while a similar window on the front was replaced by a clock.

Our Lady of the Angels School

This was Albuquerque's first public school, built by the Jesuits in 1878. It is a one-story, gable-roofed building with a wooden

cupola In architecture, a cupola () is a relatively small, usually dome-like structure on top of a building often crowning a larger roof or dome. Cupolas often serve as a roof lantern to admit light and air or as a lookout. The word derives, via Ital ...

and particularly fine Territorial style trim. The school is separately listed on the

Sister Blandina Convent

The convent, attached to the west side of the church, was built in 1881 for the

and was said to be the first two-story adobe building in Old Town. This proved challenging for the local builders and required an Italian mason to be brought from Santa Fe to lay the stone foundation. It is named for Blandina Segale, who helped to supervise its construction and became famous for her many exploits in the West. The convent was staffed by the Sisters until the late 1970s.

Outbuildings

Also on the church property are a modest Territorial-style barn, stable, and parish hall. The buildings are organized around a central courtyard.

References

External links

Official website

American Southwest, a National Park Service ''Discover Our Shared Heritage'' Travel Itinerary
{{DEFAULTSORT:San Felipe De Neri Church Roman Catholic churches in Albuquerque, New Mexico New Mexico State Register of Cultural Properties Churches on the National Register of Historic Places in New Mexico Tourist attractions in Albuquerque, New Mexico Roman Catholic churches completed in 1793 Roman Catholic churches completed in the 1860s National Register of Historic Places in Albuquerque, New Mexico 1793 establishments in the Spanish Empire 18th-century Roman Catholic church buildings in the United States 19th-century Roman Catholic church buildings in the United States Philip V of Spain