San Felipe de Neri Church

San Felipe de Neri Church
San Felipe de Neri Church
Location2005 North Plaza St. NW
Albuquerque, New Mexico
Nearest cityAlbuquerque
Coordinates35°5′48″N 106°40′11″W / 35.09667°N 106.66972°W / 35.09667; -106.66972
Built1793-1860s (the interior was completed in 1916)
NRHP reference No.69000140
NMSRCP No.39
Significant dates
Added to NRHPOctober 1, 1969
Designated NMSRCPFebruary 21, 1969[1]

San Felipe de Neri Church (Spanish: Iglesia de San Felipe de Neri) is a historic Catholic church located on the north side of Old Town Plaza in Albuquerque, New Mexico. Built in 1793, it is one of the oldest surviving buildings in the city and the only building in Old Town proven to date to the Spanish colonial period.[2] The church is listed on the New Mexico State Register of Cultural Properties[1] and the National Register of Historic Places[3] and has remained in continuous use for over 200 years.

San Felipe de Neri replaced an older church, dating to the founding of Albuquerque in 1706, which collapsed in the winter of 1792–3. From its founding until 1817, church was run by Franciscan missionaries. During the Victorian era, under the influence of Bishop Jean-Baptiste Lamy, the church was remodeled with Gothic Revival elements, including bell towers, a new pitched roof, and interior decorations, to give it a more European appearance. This combination of elements from different periods and traditions makes the church notable architecturally as well as historically.[4]

  1. ^ a b "New Mexico State and National Registers". New Mexico Historic Preservation Commission. Retrieved 2013-03-13.
  2. ^ "LUCC Staff Report" (PDF). Landmarks & Urban Conservation Commission. 2015. Retrieved September 15, 2017.
  3. ^ "National Register of Historic Places Inventory/Nomination: San Felipe de Neri Church". National Park Service. October 1, 1969. Retrieved September 20, 2017. with five accompanying photos
  4. ^ Dewitt, Susan (1978). Historic Albuquerque Today: An Overview Survey of Historic Buildings and Districts (2 ed.). Albuquerque: Historic Landmarks Survey of Albuquerque. p. 28.