The Altar Screen and Art in San Miguel

The wooden altar screen, or reredos, at the front of San Miguel Chapel is one of the oldest in New Mexico. The inscription on the lower left-hand corner reads: “This altar was erected through the piety of Don Jose Antonio Ortis in the year 1798.” It is reputed to be designed by the “Laguna Santero”, an anonymous but hugely influential artist who worked in New Mexico between 1796 and 1808. Its twisted “Solomonic columns” on either side are thought to be the first examples in New Mexico and are very typical of the Laguna Santero. The altar screen was painted over with several layers of house paint in the late 1800s but was restored under the direction of Ms. E. Boyd, artist and the first Spanish Colonial Art Curator at the Museum of International Folk Art.

In the center of the reredos is a statue of San Miguel (St. Michael), the patron of San Miguel Chapel. It was carved in old Mexico around 1700 and was brought by Franciscan Friars to Santa Fe. Above the statue of San Miguel is a large painting of Christ the Nazarene that dates from the mid-18th century and was rediscovered behind the altar screen by archeologists in 1955. The painting of St. Michael the Archangel above it dates from 1745. The artist is Bernardo Miera y Pacheco (1713-1785), who is best known as the foremost of the early cartographers of this region. Among his artistic works is the beautiful stone altar screen in Cristo Rey church in Santa Fe. Many art historians consider him the first New Mexican santero and a great influence on the early santeros of the 19th century. Both of these paintings had been painted over, and extensive cleaning and artistic restoration were required to return them to their current appearance.

The four oval paintings on the reredos date from the early 18th century and originated in Colonial Mexico. The painting at the top left is St. Teresa of Avila; on the bottom left is St. Francis of Assisi. At the top right is St. Gertrude of Germany; on the bottom right is St. Louis IX, King of France.

To the left and right of the altar are two similar paintings of the Annunciation, both believed to be the work of one of the disciples of Bartolome Esteban Murillo, one of the greatest 17th century Spanish artists, who exerted a large influence on Christian art in the Americas. These two paintings, as well as the four oval paintings, were painstakingly cleaned and artistically restored in 1955.

As you turn and face the main doors at the back, the painting on the right on buffalo hide is of Christ on the Cross. The one on the left on deer skin is of St. John the Baptist. These were painted by Franciscan Friars in about 1630 and were used as teaching aids in their work converting the Pueblo Indians to Christianity.

Fourteen lovely stations of the cross line the walls of the Chapel. They were carved by a very talented Mexican artisan named Ramon Rochas in 1956. He spent three months in Santa Fe working on the project.

At the back of the chapel is a showcase which was once a door. Here the very thick walls of the adobe structure are revealed. Above the showcase is a reproduction of Our Lady of Guadalupe, believed to be one of the first copies from Old Mexico.

As you stand in the back of the Chapel facing the altar, above you is a large hand-carved beam supporting the front of the choir loft. The beam has an inscription in Spanish carved on it, which reads: “El Marques of Penuela had this construction erected by his royal ensign, Agustin Flores Vergada, in the year 1710.”

Experience San Miguel Chapel

The Old San Miguel Bell

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San Miguel Chapel Bell

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San Miguel Religious Artwork

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San Miguel Religious Artwork

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San Miguel Outside Adobe

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San Miguel Chapel Artwork

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San Miguel Church Inside

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San Miguel Closeup Exterior

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San Miguel Photography

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San Miguel Church Outside

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Old San Miguel Bell

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San Miguel Church Old Vintage Photo

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San Miguel Church Saint

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San Miguel Church Restoration

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San Miguel Placard

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The Chapel of San Miguel

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San Miguel Church Altar Interior

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San Miguel Church Saint



San Miguel Outside

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San Miguel Church Sign

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San Miguel Church Old Photo

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San Miguel Old Artwork

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San Miguel Exterior Photo

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San Miguel Church Restoration

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Photo Credits: Carla D. Abeyta