San Felipe de Neri Church
San Felipe de Neri Church is a historic Catholic church located on the north side of Old Town Plaza in Albuquerque, New Mexico. 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 and the National Register of Historic Places 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 missionaries. During the Victorian era, under the influence of Bishop Jean-Baptiste Lamy, the church was remodeled with Gothic Revival 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 Franciscan 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, 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 Jean-Baptiste Lamy during the 1850s and 60s, the church was remodeled to give it a more Anglo appearance, with a pitched roof, vernacular Gothic Revival spires, and a new altar and pulpit painted to look like marble. In 1867, Lamy handed control of the parish to Italian Jesuits, who oversaw the construction of Our Lady of the Angels School in 1878 and a convent for the Sisters of Charity in 1881. In 1890, the rectory was rebuilt with a second story, a new portico, 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. It remains a functioning parish church.