Storm at San Rafael Church

by Priscilla Burgers

Title

Storm at San Rafael Church

Artist

Priscilla Burgers

Medium

Photograph - Photography

Description

Image is a black and white rendition of the restored historic San Rafael Church in La Cueva, New Mexico. Dramatic storm clouds add to the moodiness of the image. La Cueva is an unincorporated community on the Mora River in Mora County, New Mexico. It was established in 1851 by Vicente Romero who found the nearby location of Fort Union provided both protection from the Apache and a market for his crops. Legend has it that he named the village La Cueva (Spanish for "the cave") because he lived in a nearby cave while he was building his ranch house. He and his neighbors prospered and he built a grist mill in the early 1860s. La Cueva had a post office from 1868 until 1961. The La Cueva Historic District became a United States registered historical district in 1973 and preserves 470 acres, including the mill, the original San Rafael Church, a mercantile (store), the 1851 Romero ranch house, as well as other parts of the Romero ranch and village center.

The San Rafael Church is a stunning Neo-Gothic structure. It was built in 1865 during the period of Jean Baptiste Lamy, the Frenchman who was assigned by the Vatican to be the first Archbishop of Santa Fe. Abandoned as a parish church in 1952 for lack of clergy, the structure soon fell into ruin. Residents of El Queso, Buena Vista, Ca￿ito, La Cueva and several other communities were forced to attend services outside their own area and the church stood abandoned for forty years.

In 1990, Father Walter Cassidy heard of Cornerstones Community Partnerships and requested assistance, obtaining the signatures of 150 heads of household who committed themselves to a restoration project. Cornerstones began working with what was left of the community to restore the building. Volunteers from La Cueva and neighboring towns, with the assistance of outside volunteers recruited by Cornerstones, worked tirelessly over the next seven years to restore the building. Local craftsmen who had the skills and equipment to restore the beautiful Gothic windows were identified in nearby Mora. The tradition of women enjaradoras (plasterers), long present in Hispanic communities, was revived in La Cueva. Elderly women enthusiastically took up their traditional role, learning from those few who had retained the knowledge from the past.


FAA Featured Photo:
Enchanted New Mexico Group-9/07/2013

FAA Featured Photo:
Black and White Group-9/13/2013

FAA Featured Photo:
Black and White Photography Group - 4/13/2015

Uploaded

August 9th, 2013

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Viewed 436 Times  -  Last Visitor from Fairfield, CT on 04/23/2024 at 10:47 AM

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