Cristo Rey Church

by Ben Prepelka

Title

Cristo Rey Church

Artist

Ben Prepelka

Medium

Photograph

Description

The high desert around Santa Fe had always been a challenge for area farmers, and by the early 1600s an irrigation canal (Acequia Madre) was built from the Sangre de Cristo Mountains. Fed with clear mountain water, Sante Fe grew over the years. Farmers and sheep herders further retreated into the foothills from town. By the 1930s, farmers walked over a mile to their church in the center of town. A gathering of church members petitioned the archdiocese for a church of their own.
With architect John Gaw Meem accepting the challenge to create a new church design, members communicated their desire to include a huge stone retablo that had been in storage in a downtown cathedral. Proceeding with a promise of parishioner participation, John Meen created the Cristo Rey Church large enough to incorporate the stone altar screen. Supported with walls up to nine feet thick, the 350 foot long church on Upper Canyon Road is thought to be the largest adobe building in the United States. Although the size of the church was unprecedented, the design incorporated perfect proportions and a graceful form of adobe construction.

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February 3rd, 2017

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