Bisbee daily review., 1907-05-17
ANCIENT CHURCH Al
 YSLETA BURNS DOWN
Relic of Spanish Conquest with Old Archives a Com
 plete Loss,

FL PASO. Texas, May 16.-Built before the pilgrim fathers landed on Plymouth Rock, and used continually from that day until Tuesday, the Cath ollie church at Ysleta was destroyed by fire, said to have ignited from the 'candles burning before the altar. The destruction was complete, the fire fighting facilities of Ysleta being en- 'tirely inadequate to combat the con migration. A few relics of great an .tiquity were saved by the heroic work Of Father Cordova and his congrega- Ition.
 The fire was discovered shortly be- fore o'clock and an alarm given which soon brought every citizen of the village to the scene, but 1t was of no avail, and the historic place was soon q mass of ruins, with everything Ia total loss except a few movable ar ticles which were taken out before the fire had gained too great headway.
 Large Adobe Structure.
 The old church was built in the very heart of Ysleta, in fact the vil- lage had been built up on all sides around 1t. It was q very large struc- lure. built of adobe, and situated on a little knoll. It was built in the shape of a cross. that bein fayorite form of architecture among the Spanish missionaries. The grounds surround ing the church consist of about seven acres, enclosed by a high adobe fence over which grapevines clustered pro- fuseiy.
 Formerly the grounds surrounding the church were used for a cemetery. but of late years this practice has been discontinued. The bodies Of those buried there were removed to ether resting places and the land was cultivated.
 The interior of the church was very large and without seats of any kind except near the altar. where of late years a number of benches have beer placed. Tine walls were four feet six inches thick. the windows high near the ceiling and iron barred This was the custom in the early days of the Spanish conquest, when the churches also served as fortresses and when the dangers from the attacks of the Indians were very great.
 History of the Church.
 The actual date of the building of this church i. not known. but the rec ords which existed until Tuesday showed grants of land in that vicinity from Carlos T Of Spain to Fray Joa- quin Ynojosa oi the order of Fran ciscans, dated 1892, showing that it was an existing church at that time. The date is usually set about the be ginning of the 17th century.
 The Ysleta church was officially known as 'Nuestra Sonora de CarmeT or Our Lady of Carmel" 1t was first known as the church of Corpus Chris ii, but the name was changed later.
 An old statue of St. Anthony which in an early day occupied the first place on the main altar was later moved to the center place on a side altar and was the mecca of many a pilgrimage of the pious Indians of that section whose patron saint St Anthony was.
 Buried Treasure Found
 Above the main altar was a statue of our lady of Carmel Many other statues of noted figures in sacred his tory were scattered about the church.
 That this church was formerly one of the rich ones of the new world, was proven some years ago, when in ex-- cavating in the church yard, large silver sacristy lamp of unique pattern and peculiar workmanship, bearing Spanish dates of several hundred years ago. was found It is supposed that it was buried at time when the Indians were particularly dangerous to keep it from falling into their hands should the village be captured.
 The greatest loss in this particular instance will come from the destrue- ton of the archives of the church Here for hundreds Of years the people of this vicinity had been pionsly re- corded at birth, marriage and death, and these are now destroyed, it being