Cathedral Basilica of St. Francis of Assisi - Outside Portico

Outside Portico

St. Francis of Assisi

This statue of St. Francis, the patron saint of the diocese, was installed at the Cathedral during the 1967 renovations.

Blessed Kateri

Kateri Tekakwitha (1656–1680) is the first North American Indian to be beatified, and was canonized in October 2012. She was an Algonquian-Mohawk woman of New York State. At an early age, she converted to Christianity. The statue was created by Estella Loretto, a sculptor from the nearby Jemez Pueblo, and installed in August 2003. A plaque noting Kateri's canonization was added in October 2012.

Father John Baptist Lamy

A statue by Jeno Juszko honors Father Lamy (1814–1888), who was installed as the first Bishop of the Diocese of Santa Fe in 1850. Under his direction, the cornerstone of the current cathedral was laid in 1869. He became Archbishop in 1875, when the Diocese was raised to an Archdiocese. He retired in July 1885 to his residence north of town, known as Bishop's Lodge. He is buried in the crypt beneath the Cathedral floor.