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| Our Lady of Guadalupe Church, Conejos, CO |
Colorado is more than the Rockies and ski hills. Going south, as you get closer to northern New Mexico, there is more and more of the Spanish influence that reflects the area's Mexican heritage. Until it was conceded to the United States by Mexico at the end of the Mexican American War in 1848, Colorado was a part of Mexico. The first permanent settlement in Colorado's San Luis Valley, where present-day Conejos is situated, was in 1850 and the first Mass in Colorado was held in Conejos in 1857.
History of the Church:
The early settlers of the Conejos area were Mexicans. In 1856 they dedicated a church to the Virgin of Guadalupe on a spot near present-day Conejos. After the Conejos river flooded in 1857, Bishop Lamy, first Bishop of Santa Fe, New Mexico, advised that the church be moved south of the river on the same spot that the current-day church stands. The finished church was dedicated in 1863. In 1878 the decision was made to improve the church façade and add two towers. Originally administered by Jesuits, in 1920 jurisdiction was transferred to the Theatine order.
On Ash Wednesday 1926 the church was destroyed by a fire and the decision was made to rebuild it on the same spot. The old towers were left as an historical monument, but later taken down because of the hazards these unstable structures presented. Ninety years after the first fire, in 2016 there was yet another fire in the church; this one was less destructive.
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| Our Lady of Guadalupe, Conejos, CO |
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| Façade Detail, Our Lady of Guadalupe, Conejos, CO |
The Present Building:
The architect for the 1927 building is not known. When the decision was made to raze the towers in 1948, John K. Monroe Sr. of Lakewood Colorado was brought in as the designer of the new façade. The resulting building was more elaborate than the other simpler churches in the area and researcher Tom Simmons of Front Range Research Associates, in Denver believes that Monroe was striving for a building in the Spanish Colonial Revival style, with the 1794 Albuquerque Church being a possible influence.
The Interior:
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| View toward Front Altar, Our Lady of Guadalupe, Conejos, CO |
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| View toward Choir Loft and Back of Church, Our Lady of Guadalupe, Conejos, CO |
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| Front Altar, Our Lady of Guadalupe Church, Conejos, CO |
The church has a simple interior with a single aisle and a more-or-less baroque main altar, that I believe was either replaced or restored after the 2016 fire. I had visited the church a few years prior to this and there have been interior changes since this fire.
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| Small Altar to right of front altar, Our Lady of Guadalupe, Conejos, CO |
The most remarkable features of the church are its stained glass windows, which Tom Simmons points out are unexpected since Conejos is in a relatively poor area of Colorado.
These beautiful windows were created by Frank Watkins of Denver for the 1927 building and reflect the artistic style of the era. Watkins Stained Glass Studios, operating since 1868, still are in production.
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| Stained-Glass Windows, Our Lady of Guadalupe, Conejos, CO |
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| Stained-Glass Windows, Our Lady of Guadalupe, Conejos CO |
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| Stained-Glass Window, Our Lady of Guadalupe, Conejos, CO |
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| Stained-Glass Window, Our Lady of Guadalupe, Conejos, CO |
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| Stained-Glass Window, Our Lady of Guadalupe, Conejos, CO |
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| Stained-Glass Window, Our Lady of Guadalupe, Conejos, CO |
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| Window Detail, Our Lady of Guadalupe Church, Conejos, CO |
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| Byzantine-style Icon, Our Lady of Conejos Church, Conejos, CO |
Visiting the Conejos Church:
Conejos is a 4 1/2 hour drive from Denver, so a visit there is better combined with other activities in the area. Conejos is less than 3 hours from Santa Fe, NM, so visiting this historical gem of a church en route to New Mexico is one (and my) strategy. If you happen to be in Aspen area in the summer or fall, there is a fast back route over Independence Pass that gets you to Conejos in under 4 hours and from there onto Santa Fe, about 21/2 hours.
Thanks go to Tom Simmons of Front Range Research Associates, providing me with background information for this post.
