The Mitchell capital. (Mitchell, Dakota [S.D.]) 1879-1918, 1908-04-17
OLDEST CHURCH N
The UNITED STATES
Santa Fe, New Mexico, House
OF Worship Whose Founda-
ton Was Laid in 1871.

me ancient Santa Fe church at Santa
Fe, N. NJ. is the Oldest house OF worship
In the United States, according to tho,
claim of the Christian Brothers. the Cath
ollc order which has charge of the edifce.
brother David" who looks after tho
spiritual welfare of the parish, says the
records OF the Christian Brothers show
that the foundation of the Santa Fe
church was laid in 1A1. The next Oldest
church building in this country is the
mission of San NaNier, situated near Tue
son, Ariz., in a Papago Indian settlement.
There is a dispute as TO whether the San
Navier plission was started in 1547. as is
asserted by some, or at a later time.
Coronado, who Is said to have laid the
corner stone of the mission building, was
IN Spain in 1547. and 1t is believed by those
who have investigated the facts bearing
on the subject that the Santa Fe church
is 10 or 10 years older than the San Navier
mission building.
The construction OF the Santa Fe ediace
was slow work. The more expert artisans
had to be brought all the way from Spain.
Indians were forced to perform much OF
The hard manual labor, such as making
the adobe bricks or blocks which were
used in the walls and carrying them to
che places where they were laid. The
wallis of the buildings are from three to
five feet thick. That the sun dried clay
blocks were strong and serviceable is at
tested by the fact that they have with
stood the ravages of the elements for
nearly 400 years and stin are in appar-
emily rs good condition as when they were
first placed in position.
The church has undergone many inn
provements since first 1t was built. 1t now
has little resemblance to the original
structure. The adobe outside walls have
been smoothed over with plaster, and
WhereNer aNi1enca pf 6acnv was chou,n
repairs were made. The ancient belfry
has been remodeled to such an extent
that its appearance is entirely changed
from that OF the original structure. The
old bell, which is said to have been placed
in the church at the time of its compile
ton, now occupies a position just inside
the entrance door of the church. The bell
of Itself is a relic that attracts the atten-
ton of all who visit the historic place. 1t
was cast August 8, 1856, as is shown by the
date which is moulded upon ii. The tone
of the bell is mellow and musical and can
be heard a great distance.
The distinguished honor of ringing this
ancient bell is accorded to but few per-
sons by Brother David" President
Roosevelt is one of those who was in
vited to sound forth the tone of the bell.
This was in 1909, when the president Wis
tied Santa Fe. The chief executive OF the
nation pulled the rope with a vigor that
l0bsSN lIt bVll " SiNS oit a AO1iS Una
was heard far beyond the limits of the
parish. This bell is said to have done
service in Spain for nearly 200 years be-
fore II was brought to the ancient pueblo
of Santa Fe and installed in this church
In the times when the church editice was
used as a fort to ward off attacks of the
Indians the bell was used to sound the
alarm to the settlers of the Santa Fe dis
trict when the Indians swooped down up
on the pueblo.
When the church was built and for a
century or two afterward the openings In
Its walls, now fitted with windows of
glass. were covered with woven Indian
blankets when storms came. Ordinarily
the openings were left free of obstruc-
tions and the pure air of the mesa swept
through the building. The bare ground
served for a floor until ITO, when a
puncheon floor was put down. Since that
date the interior of the church has been
ornamentcd with a gallery. The walls of
the edi!ice are adorned with a number OF
paintings. some of which are the work OF
old masters and are very Saluable.