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St. Francis Cathedral

Cathedral Place at San Francisco St., Santa Fe, NM 87501 (Downtown)
505/982-5619
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Ranked #5 of 89 attractions in Santa Fe
Type: Religious Sites
Activities: City walk sightseeing, Leisure education
Description: This cathedral was built in 1886, and is known for its beautiful Romanesque architecture.
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421 reviews from our community

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    31
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Date Rating
Yelm, Washington
Senior Contributor
46 reviews 46 reviews
12 attraction reviews
Reviews in 28 cities Reviews in 28 cities
22 helpful votes 22 helpful votes
5 of 5 stars Reviewed 21 May 2013 NEW

This church is absolutely beautiful and it's also right in the heart of the "plaza" so it's easy to find.

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See 2 more reviews by Sharon N for Santa Fe
Massachusetts
Top Contributor
127 reviews 127 reviews
31 attraction reviews
Reviews in 47 cities Reviews in 47 cities
30 helpful votes 30 helpful votes
4 of 5 stars Reviewed 19 May 2013 NEW

Beautiful depiction of several hundred years of history on the many squares overlaid on the doors. The statue of Jesus outside the main entrance is also noteworthy. Did not explore inside too much as there was rehearsal for an upcoming ordination underway

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See 7 more reviews by CapeSharon for Santa Fe
Denver, Colorado
Senior Contributor
27 reviews 27 reviews
15 attraction reviews
Reviews in 7 cities Reviews in 7 cities
6 helpful votes 6 helpful votes
2 of 5 stars Reviewed 17 May 2013 NEW

Wow--compared to other Cathedrals, this is nothing special. The people are rude and you can't get a moment to even take it in. Not impressed.

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See 5 more reviews by Peytonsgirl for Santa Fe
Santa Fe, New Mexico
Senior Contributor
27 reviews 27 reviews
Reviews in 4 cities Reviews in 4 cities
7 helpful votes 7 helpful votes
4 of 5 stars Reviewed 15 May 2013

Originally a parish church built to please the city's first archbishop a century and a half ago, the building has been inadequate and run-down its entire existence, barely standing by the forties. It was never able to raise enough money to be completed but it has had a modest face lift whenever needed. Now a basilica, it has recently been... More

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See 21 more reviews by VN F for Santa Fe
central Illinois
Reviewer
3 reviews 3 reviews
1 helpful vote 1 helpful vote
5 of 5 stars Reviewed 13 May 2013

Attended Sunday mass, and it was a wonderful experience. People were friendly and kind. The music was uplifting. We even met the pastor outside and had a nice little chat with him. A great experience.

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See 2 more reviews by Girl_Illa for Santa Fe
novato, ca
Top Contributor
88 reviews 88 reviews
47 attraction reviews
Reviews in 35 cities Reviews in 35 cities
58 helpful votes 58 helpful votes
3 of 5 stars Reviewed 10 May 2013

Beautiful inside , but really enjoyed the stations of the cross garden adjacent to the cathedral. I have been more impressed with other churches, but this is a nice respite right off the plaza worth visiting.

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See 6 more reviews by lane t for Santa Fe
Washington
Senior Contributor
35 reviews 35 reviews
7 attraction reviews
Reviews in 14 cities Reviews in 14 cities
16 helpful votes 16 helpful votes
4 of 5 stars Reviewed 10 May 2013

This site was exactly as advertised. When we walked in someone actually came up and explained all the details of the church to us. Very nice of her and we enjoyed the visit

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See 8 more reviews by Snookie709 for Santa Fe
The Hague, The Netherlands
Top Contributor
70 reviews 70 reviews
32 attraction reviews
Reviews in 19 cities Reviews in 19 cities
19 helpful votes 19 helpful votes
4 of 5 stars Reviewed 9 May 2013

The cathedral was built by Archbishop Jean Baptiste Lamy between 1869 and 1886 on the site of an older adobe church, La Parroquia (built in 1714–1717). This is a wonderful historical landmark, and you would be remiss if you spent too little time in this cathedral. The main front bronze doors are historical, in the sense that they relate main... More

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See 11 more reviews by Nicolas_Kar for Santa Fe
New York City, New York
Senior Reviewer
6 reviews 6 reviews
6 attraction reviews
Reviews in 3 cities Reviews in 3 cities
2 helpful votes 2 helpful votes
5 of 5 stars Reviewed 7 May 2013

Yes, it's a tranquil oasis away from the bustle and commercialism of Santa Fe, but its also got a surprising number of items worth pondering. The main front doors tell the story of St Francis, but it seems a whole lot more is going on within the panels, unfortunately Ida (see other review) wasn't around and the docent didn't have... More

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Upstate New York
Senior Contributor
22 reviews 22 reviews
8 attraction reviews
Reviews in 10 cities Reviews in 10 cities
4 helpful votes 4 helpful votes
5 of 5 stars Reviewed 7 May 2013

St Francis Cathedral is one of 4 major historic landmarks in Santa Fe that no one should miss. The other three are the La Fonda Hotel (end of the Santa Fe trail), Loretto Chapel (site of the spiral staircase reputed to have been built by Joseph), and the Palace of the Governors (17th century seat of Spanish government, now a... More

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See 3 more reviews by SophiesMom1 for Santa Fe

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