Gayle and I returned to the Basilica as part of our Santa Fe Footprints walking tour. Our guide…read more(Terry) provided history of Bishop Lamy's work in Santa Fe, and with help from the Jewish Community at the time. That's why you'll see the Hebrew for God at the entrance to the Basilica. Apparently, the statue of Bishop Lamy was also an espionage meeting point during the Manhattan Project. There there's the La Conquistadora Chapel: the only surviving portion of an older church destroyed in the 1680 Pueblo Revolt. It houses a 30-inch wooden statue of the Virgin Mary brought from Spain in 1624, making it the oldest representation of the Blessed Virgin in the United States. At the entrance is the statue of Saint Kateri Tekakwitha, the first Native American canonized by the Catholic Church. Rather than traditional Mohawk attire, she is depicted in Native Pueblo style. And there's more, and something to discover for yourself as you wander in. Helpful docents were available just into the Church during our visit. There's also a pretty good gift shop just as you come in.

Beautiful basilica. I'm glad to see the tourists here and tried their best to be reverent here…read more Admission is free but donations are encouraged. They have a wonderful brochure that details the architecture features here. My family enjoyed our time of prayer and lighting the candles here.

This church is wonderful. Fr Sanchez and the younger priest are the best in Santa Fe. Yes, he does…read moreget carried away with "preaching to the choir" sometimes in a way that occasionally detracts from the more potent parts of his message, but they always lead with compassion, forgiveness, salvation. They honour the daily saints, bring in references to Origen and Augustine - swoon! I like the more intellectual bent so that it engages all of me, and yet apply the more lofty teachings to practical application. They renew the commandments for us, give clear guidance for daily life, and inspire us to be the saints we're called to be. Who could ask for more? As someone who recently returned to the church and tried out all the Catholic Churches (and a few others) in Santa Fe, this one is by far the most reverent, welcoming, powerful, kind, and uplifting of all of them. I like that they don't have the mariachi or rock bands and bombastic singers like some of the others, which make them feel like concert venues (the "audience" even claps sometimes - ugh) than sacred places where you go to refresh your connection to God. I love that Fr Sanchez honours the sincerity of the Mystery and ritual of the whole service. Some that I went to zipped through the readings and the sacrament such that it almost felt like a task to get through, others go overboard making a show of the gestures so that it feels like a performance. The outreach programs are incredible and they are very humble about it. The church itself is beautiful, with lovely statues of Jesus, Mary, Joseph, and St. John the Baptist. They refresh their positions so we pay attention. I can not say enough good about this church, its shepherds and its flock. I am grateful I found them.

I normally don't make reviews for religious organizations because of the subjective nature of faith…read moreand religion, but I have on rare exceptions when the experience would affect me and others on a level that exceeds finances and services. I went to the 9am mass on September 2nd and I was hoping to experience a liturgy and a parish community that had an inclusion of the different cultures, Latino, Indian (Native American), traditional North American,... I have experienced the blending of the served communities and cultures manifesting in the mass services in beautiful ways and I was thinking that this parish would be a great experience. Santa Fe is not exactly monolithic as far as peoples and cultures go, right? So I figured a good litmus test to the integration of the locale's inhabitants would be to experience this in their common place of worship. Unfortunately I was not impressed as much as I thought I would be, but I could easily let that failure pass by in light of the experience I had with the senior priest's homily, it *really* missed the mark with his message. The mark was missed so much, this is the first instance I am not coming back to a particular Catholic Church because the pastoral leadership was so lacking in its message and sign of the times. The homily addressed the resurgence of the Child Abuse scandal with the Church in light of the events with the dioceses and parishes in Pennsylvania. One aspect in the homily that I noticed that didn't sit well was when the priest was addressing accountability. He spoke of accountability from The Pope down to the Deacons, but not once did he use the words "I" or "me". I honestly don't know if this parish or the clergy who officiate at this church have been embroiled with their own controversies, I am assuming that this church and its leadership have been doing what is right and just working through the tough times. But failure to clearly say that they, themselves, are too accountable just makes it sound like "other people" are accountable but not us. Take away: you're not God, your vows and titles don't shield you from the laws of society, nor should the resources of the Church provide for such protections. That was not clear. Another issue was a horrible tangent in the homily, he started the talk on the wrong-doing of the clergy involved in the scandal and mid-way he then speaks about the sins of those (the laity) who support abortion, divorce, sex outside of marriage, and homosexuality. Seriously?!? The sins of a few clergymen has tarnish the reputation for all of you, there needs to be humility and the entire homily was lacking. But if the absence of humility wasn't enough, you proceed to bring up the laity's issues? That message was totally, "holier than thou". Take away: the evils of society have always been challenging the message of the Gospel, but for the people in mass that day, this poor message did plenty of harm. The gasps, when you put homosexuality on a tier with abortion, was definitely palpable to me. Any rate, I'm not going back there. I felt so bad for you. God forgives and most people do too. I will also forgive, but that was a bad moment.

Can get very crowded as the church is very small and so the experience gets a little bit…read morefrustrating. You pay $5 to get in but there's no crowd control. I don't like to think bad about the situation but it seems they are only interested with the revenue and not think of the safety of the visitors.

Wonderful and historic church with gorgeous architecture and a lovely statue. We enjoyed mass and…read morethe homily very much with both Father Daniel and Deacon Tom. Friendly and inviting parish.

I have always loved really old churches and to go to the oldest church in the country was…read morewonderful. It doesn't take long to see it, but it's absolutely worth it to drop in. It's free.

This church is known to be one of the oldest churches in the area. The admission fee is $7 adults…read moreto get in. I was fine with it since this helps them pay for the church to do this tour service. Beautiful church, smaller crowd and I love how the tourists were reverent here.

Deacon Enrique didn't believe my husband is a disabled veteran and decided to make inappropriate…read moreand disrespectful comments to include a horrible joke about how he went to Vietnam and died. Someone like this should not be representing the Catholic Church.

I didn't get to go inside the main church but was able to attend mass at their chapel. They got a…read moreno nonsense priest there which was a delight. Happy for this parish!

Cristo Rey is one of the largest adobe churches in the world. It was built in 1939, unlike most of…read morethe historic churches in Santa Fe that date back to the Spanish colonial period. John Gaw Meem, whose name is bestowed on several buildings at nearby St. John's College, designed it. It's a spectacularly beautiful place: http://www.gregallegretti.com/cristo-rey-church-santa-fe-new-mexico Cristo Rey is a friendly parish. It heads up the famous arts district of Canyon Road. Within, there are reredos from the now-demolished military chapel of Our Lady of Light. The church is an amazing combination of the past and the more contemporary. Among the pinons and mountains, it is a place of serenity.

I am a complete sucker for roadside attractions, oddities and little museums. Such explorations…read morehelp you really get to know the culture of the area you're touring. This chapel just off the Plaza did not disappoint! Out of curiosity, I read a couple of the other reviews before I began writing about my own experience. It's a chapel, so I wasn't expecting the tour I had at the Vatican. It's small and quaint, which is reflective of most religious edifices in the West built in the mid-1800s. The story of the stranger, the staircase and the miracle is fascinating. Whether you are a believer or not, the spiral structure is a delightful marvel. The detail and craftsmanship of the room itself are inspiring for anyone interested in architecture. It just glows and feels sacred. The cover is $5, which is nothing. I'd trade a burger for another trip through those doors.

This chapel charges a fee to enter, most likely because of the staircase. The chapel was…read moreovercrowded with people who weren't being very respectful and there was an automated message over the loudspeaker, which made it feel like this beautiful chapel was now a tourist trap. The staircase was pretty, but it wasn't anything to marvel at for longer than a few seconds. The only "neat" thing about it was that it was modeled after St. Etienne in Paris, which I have been to and loved. NOTE: They do have a great giftshop!

Over the last few years I've seen this beautiful church become alive with tremendous participation…read moreof the faithful. They now offer confession 7 days a week there is such high demand. Thank you Fr Leo. We will miss you.

We are new to this parish and absolutely love it here. The place is beautiful, the religious…read moreeducation department is fantastic, and most importantly they couldn't have made us feel more welcome. The homilies are very well done, and they have some of the best singers and musicians you will ever hear during a mass. We were a little nervous coming back to the church after a long hiatus, but they welcomed us and treated us like family from the beginning. Couldn't be happier!

Ten years later, I brought Bob, Laurie, and Gayle back to El Santuario De Chimayo and on a Sunday…read moremorning before area services. They sell small empty containers to fill with the Holy Dirt, but we left it at a dab or 2 on Bob's knee and Gayle's neck. So far, the hoped for miracle has not yet occurred. This time around there's a Visitor's Center that I don't remember from before. I stopped in and was greeted by a very friendly volunteer. They also had a bunch of religious art on sale by local folks, which were well done, but not really my style. The Main Sanctuary and the Side room (with the Holy Dirt) in back were what I remembered. The "dirt" found at the well (pocito) in the room is considered holy because in this spot, the crucifix of "Our Lord of Esquipulas" was found in 1810. All that being said, Laurie and Gayle remarked that the Spanish depiction of their Catholicism here was behaps too dark, somber, and bloody. I guess the portrayal of negative consequences does resonate with some folks.

Visiting the Santuario de Chimayo was a beautiful spiritual experience. You could see the beauty in…read morethis place where we were able to participate in daily mass outside and got a wedding anniversary blessing from Father there. There's a lot to see from the chapels, dirt room, museum, and gift shop. We came early so parking was ok but I can see this place get crowded easily. I will say there were places that asked us not to take photos so please be remember it is a place of prayer.