The Valley Virginian. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1865-1895, 1889-06-20
DEFERRED MATTER
The Oldest Church in the United
States


aante Fe, New Mexico, seventy-seven wears
before the landing of the Pilgrims on Plym
| of ST. Augustine, Florida, and fifty-three years
| after the landing of Colu mbus.
according to the learned researches o! Father
DE Four, San MiguePs, built in 1913 and
| the reiOre ia now three hundred and f1rtv-five
years old, making It, think, without dispute,
The Oldest church anywhere north ct the Amer
lean frontier. Like all the other chui ches of
| this part of America. IL is built of adObes on
he simple plan of four plain and very thick
| walls. and nearly-tat roof supported by
| heavy beams. In some cases. as here. there
are large brackets at each end Of the beams
deliberately carved. over these rafters some
| kind OF covering was placed to sustain the
heavy mass of clay that was placed thereon and
| thus simply the roof was finished. The Win
dows are small aud well up toward the roof
Fnsssalsly as preventives from Indian raid or
ncendiarfsm rs those We're the times when
| men went to church with their hands on their
swords. The sanctuary was yelled off from
| the BODY of the church, and decorated as elab
Orately the limited circumstances of the
neople would allow. On the sanctuary walls
of San MigueHs yet hang two pictures of un-
known age, but stained and darkened by time
Both are represen ations of Angelica Saluta-
tiOn. AS has also been relate /. at the time of
the rueblo rising OF 1850. all the churches were
destroyed, and San Miguefs shared the same
fate.
ia 1892 the Territory was reconquered ty
| General Don de Vargas Zapatoz Lujan Ponce
de Leon, Marquis OF the root of Brazina g. Gov
ernor, Captain General, RestOrer, Conqueror
aIshs own cost, Re- Cnnqueror, Castilian and
Casti,ian founder for His Majesty; all this res
onant magntloquent recital of names, titles
and dignities. terminates with etc. etc, as If
the writer time was too limited to detail the
rest. In ITO the ancient church was restore
and rebuilt. as appears yet in one of the elab-
orately carved letters on one OF the beams of
the roof give the Interesting inscription as
it reads al Senior Marquee de la Penuela.
hzo esta fabrica; Ell Alferes Real Don Augustin
Flores Vergara 81 criado. Ammo de l7lU." (His
Lordship, the Marquis de la Penuela erected
this building by the Royal Ensign Don Angus
tin Flores, Vergara his servant.) Every visitor
and an the visitors BOOKS contain the names Of
some of our most EN- inent citizens.
The above is taken from the Freeman
Journal. and gives comparatively accu
rate outline of the old church. There are
other churches in New Mexico. apparently
of greater antiquity, Judging from their
condition. In 1853 the writer visited the
Pueblo of Zuni. The tradition with the
Indians was that the church there, in
diiapidated state, was built 250 years pre-
yious to that time. 1t evidently had been
constructed for other services than merely
preaching. There were d half dozen
apartments in it. divided by adobe walls
and connecting through apertures the size
of an ordinary door. The timbers in the
ediice were in good state of preserva-
ton, although the walls were crumbling,
and had carved on them Biblescenes and
the figures Of apostles and priests, cruci'
fixes, etc. The choir stage was aboye the
main entrance door, and the pulpit, in
front, had carved on it the figures of the
twelve apostles. In the rear of the pulpit
was beautiful life size oil painting of
the mother of Christ, and above it bust,
in oil, of our Savior All the representa-
tions were of sacred associations, and their
contemplation awed into reverence thess
who looked at them.
At several points in the Territory are
t he ruins of old churches, evidently built
by the Jesuits, after Cortez's conquest OF
Mexico, standing out on the plains. the
ealy remaining evidence OF Pueblo that
once existed. The whole territory OF New
Mexico is study for the antiquarian, and
1t. Cushing has furnished some very inter-
esting articles to Harper MCnthly, detail,
ing his discoveries and describing the Gus.
toms and usages of people around W HON
cluster traditions of reverence and mystic.
nv, key to which may never be found
The history of Zuni, where Cushin spent
several years, having been adopted into
the tribe, is simply that of one of the
many Pueblos enyeloped IN strange super
stitions, with common traditions which in-
yite investigation and research.