Art in the Church

	Santa Maria de la Paz Catholic Community 11 College Avenue, Santa Fe, New Mexico 87508-9225 Phone: 505 473-4200 - Fax: 505 473-1602

	Our Church, Its Images and Artists Welcome to Santa Maria de la Paz tour of our parish home to learn about our furnishings, holy images and the artists who created them. Click photos to learn more about them.
	Gathering Space: Our tour begins in the Gathering Space, a large open lobby which acts as a buffer between the outside world and the sanctuary. Here we honor our ancestral parishes as well as the forebears of our Native American sisters and brothers.
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	Main Church: As we enter the Main Worship space, we pass through one of three hand-hewn wooden doors just beneath a smaller door and priest's balcony, all reminiscent of the facades of ancient Spanish colonial churches. Inside the doors, we are beneath a traditional choir loft, looking out into a great, open, square space. At the center is the altar, surrounded by a U-shaped arrangement of chairs and benches. Above is a high, clerestory-lit wooden ceiling with vigas and corbels carved by the families of our community. The Ambo and the Monumental Cross dominate the apse at the far end.
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	San Jose Chapel: This chapel is named in honor of St. Joseph: foster father of Jesus Christ, husband of the Blessed Virgin Mary, patron and protector of the universal church and patron saint of fathers, carpenters and those seeking a happy death. The chapel was dedicated by Archbishop Michael J. Sheehan on March 2, 2003 and is harmoniously attached to the West end of the main church. This is the various artwork you will find there: ___ ___ _ _