San Francisco De Asis Church

The drive to Taos is the reward, not the destination. Don’t get to excited about this church, its nothing special. Definitely make the pilgrimage to get here though, taking the high road on one direction, and the low road on the other.

A true historic must see in Taos. This old school real adobe structure is a functioning church m. The inside of the building is gorgeous and the outside offers awesome photography opportunities. There is a gift shop with great souvenirs and all proceeds benefit the church. Once a year the structure is coated with a new layer of adobe clay and straw to reinforce and preserve it– its a beautiful piece of history.

We just happened to come across this church. We stopped for lunch while passing through the area and weren’t ready to hop back in the care yet. There are cute little shops around it with owners who were happy to answer any questions we had. The church itself was beautiful inside and outside.

This is a wonderful example of a traditional adobe church. If you can’t come away with terrific photos (at any time of day) then you’ve got your eyes closed. The outside has these wonderful sculptural structural supports and if you look closely you can see the straw that is part of the adobe. The interior is such a great contrast from the natural exterior surfaces. Inside, it’s cool and painted white with a beautiful series of religious paintings. It’s a working church and we got to see part of a wedding mass which was very touching. The priest has a nice sense of humor and is a good speaker. Surrounding the church are a series of traditional smaller structures complete with beautifully turquoise painted doorways.
One quite note — it’s closer to town then you’d think and it’s the back side of the church that faces the highway, so it can be easy to miss.

Simple, elegant architecture, best viewed in late afternoon sunlight. We wanted to see the mystery painting, but it’s in the office that happened to be locked when we visited at 3:45PM on a Saturday. Not a lot to see inside the church itself.
Definitely worth visiting because it’s literally 200 yds off the main road and a visit only takes 5 minutes.

San Francisco de Assisi, the most photographed & painted church in the world. Made most famous by the great paintings of Georgia O’Keeffe & the amazing black & white photography of Ansel Adams, that happens to be one of my most favorite coffee table books ;) If you haven’t seen his book of work, check him out. Also, the church office houses one of the most incredible works of art. A 1896 painting by a little Canadian-​French artist «the shadow of the cross» by Henri Ault. A must see while in Taos. Turn the lights off, watch the painting come to life as Christ by the sea of Galilee ignites with a powerful glow, like a beacon in the night.
Hubby & I visited the church Christmas morning b4 heading over to Taos Pueblo for the day of festivities there. I was so thrilled to see this magnificent place for the first time, take some pics, as I have always wanted to paint it myself & add it to my own collection of artwork ;)
I jumped out of the car quickly soon as we drove up bc there was a hot air balloon flyin over the church! I wanted to get that photo! lol What a amazing painting that would be with the balloon flying over! I took many pics, stumbling all around the church & the courtyard, just clicking away! It was just as beautiful as any painting I had ever seen & much more.
Then, as we got in the car, getting ready to leave, adjusting my scarf in the mirror, I realized one of my earrings was gone! Hubby had a pair of earrings custom made for me with my name engraved in them that he had just given me for Christmas that morning & one was missing!!!
I. Freaked. Out.
I was already in the car so hubby says lets just back track our steps from this morning when I gave them to you and look for it.
Back to the hotel we went, looking everywhere. The lobby & outside the hotel. Showing the remaining earring to everyone, asking if they had seen one like it anywhere?!
We went back to the diner where we had breakfast, asked the people sitting at the table where we had been sitting if they seen it?! They got up & helped us look all around. The whole staff of the restaurant helped me look for my earring. No where was it to be found. I looked in the parking lot & the car. No earring.
I was in tears as I had lost my hubby’s very special Christmas gift in only two hours!!! My hubby suggested we go back to San Francisco de Assisi & take one last look around.
We go back to the church. I jump out of the car again! I start retracing my steps where I was running around aimlessly looking up at the hot air ballon flying over the church & suddenly BAM! Glistening right there in the sunlight, in the courtyard, right in front of the statue of Mary, was my earring! :)))))
It was a divine intervention!
Thank you Holy Mary Mother of Christ!
Aside from having my own incredible Christmas tale to tell about The San Francisco de Assisi church, I can’t paint the painting fast enough! LOL
The painting… Hot air balloon high above three white crosses in the pure blue sky, Taos village & the Sangre de Cristo white snow capped mountains in the background, the glistening sun on the statue of Mary in the courtyard, green Christmas reef on the door…
«The Francisco de Assisi Holy Mother Mary full of grace & the lost earring»
Inspiring place? Hail Mary!
Double check! lol

This place may look a little familiar to you — Among the many representations of the church, it’s been famously painted by Georgia O’Keeffe a handful of times and photographed by the great Ansel Adams many times. There is a little sign outside of the church stating that it is the most photographed and painted church in the world.
San Francisco de Assisi Church marks the end of the High Road to Taos to me. We usually stop in to this place, enjoy the beautiful architecture, snap some shots, and then make our way over to the Taos Inn to rest a bit before we head to the Adobe Bar and Doc Martin’s for dinner.
The church was built in the early 1800s by Franciscan priests. It is an adobe mission style church and is in the best condition of the many adobe style churches on the High Road to Taos, that are equally as old. The church’s congregation is still very active and contribute to keeping this historic landmark and World Heritage Site in primo condition. That being said BE MINDFUL that Mass might be going on while you are there. They definitely welcome visitors, but this is still a church. If you have the time, check the Mass schedule, and try to attend, even if you aren’t Catholic. The services that I have walked in on seem to have a very uplifting feeling!
The architecture of this church is beautiful — the buttresses (most commonly what you see in photographs) support the back of the church. It’s very pleasing and symmetrical from the front with the three white crosses adorning the two bell towers and the main entrance — making a BEAUTIFULLY breathtaking photograph on the bluest of blue-​sky days! The sanctuary is rather large, with a choir loft above the entrance. There’s also beautiful Spanish woodworking on the alter, called Retablos, which can be seen in most all Spanish churches of this area.
If you are a photo bug, put this stop on your list. The church itself is not directly IN the town of Taos, but a couple of miles outside on St Francis (NM68). And don’t miss the beautiful painting in the church office across the small parking lot — It’s a special treat!

Truly a piece of art. This church transports you to a different time and place when you stand in it’s courtyard and gaze at the sun shining down on the adobe.
It is easy to see why so many artists have used it as a centerpiece in their works. It is an amazing piece of architecture that is not to be missed when in Taos!

This is an amazing place to come visit and see. The GPS drove us right on by, but there are signs everywhere for it and it’s right off the main road in Taos.
There’s definitely a feeling of peace when you stand outside and see the subject of so many great pieces of art. It’s a must-​see if you come into Taos.

San Francisco de Asis Church, tucked away in the Taos back country, is far from the crowds, though immortalized in Ansel Adams’ photographs and Georgia O’Keeffe’s paintings. It has a timeless, simple splendor, its brown walls echoing against the stark blue sky.
On the outside, it is spartan, but within, it is elaborate. It’s more rustic than say, the Californian missions of Dolores, Carmel or Santa Barbara. It’s far off the beaten path of Fr. Junipero Serra.
The church office, however, conceals a great secret. Henri Ault’s painting «The Shadow of the Cross.» In normal light, it looks normal. A painting of Christ by the Sea of Galilee. Turn off the lights, and it glows. Yet another enigmatic Frenchman in New Mexico… like the one who built the spiral staircase in Santa Fe’s Loretto Chapel.
San Francisco de Asis is a beautiful place for prayer and contemplation.

Pretty breathtaking if you’re into rad looking adobe architecture.
The Catholic Church is surprisingly decorative inside, but I guess that’s the Catholic way… always historically reliant for grand and brilliant interiors.
Also, make some time to see the «Shadow of the Cross» viewings, no matter if you’re a radical or atheist, it’s worth seeing.
The ladies that run the gift shop are dolls, loved meeting and getting to know them. Lovely gals!

My date and I had a great time visiting this amazing place. Unfortunately we arrived after 4 PM so the church was closed but we did get to walk around the exterior which is a good experience in itself if you are at all in admiration of adobe architecture. My date and I ended up staying in Taos that evening and decided to head back to the church to visit the office and see the famous «The Shadow of the Cross» by Henri Ault (1896) that is housed in the church office (to the east side of the actual church) and depicts a barefoot Jesus Christ at the sea of Galilee.
After watching a ~15 minute video documenting the history of the church and the painting, the docent will return and show you the light switch so you can turn the lights shining on the painting on or off.
Talk about incredible.
When the lights are turned off on this painting, an eerie luminescence gradually emerges, making the painting appear 3D. A cross appears over the left shoulder of Jesus. All of this was a surprise to the painter and modern science hasn’t come up with a conclusive explanation (it was painted before radium was discovered and when tested with Geiger counters the results have been negative). Once my date and I left the site, we both confessed that it looked like his cloak was blowing in the wind.
I’m not an overly religious person but seeing this in person truly sent chills down my spine and brought a sense of wonder to my heart. There have been some theories on why the painting exhibits the attributes that it does but in my mind it was still a very incredible thing to witness.
So is it a well-​crafted optical illusion or something more? I would recommend for anyone in the Taos area to go to San Francisco de Asis Church so you can make up your own mind!