San Francisco de Asís Mission Church

San Francisco de Asís is located about south of Taos, New Mexico, at the center of the main plaza in the unincorporated community of Ranchos de Taos . It is approximately in length, with a cruciform plan. An adobe wall extends from the back of the church and one of the transepts to form an enclosed rectangular area on the building's south side. Adobe buttresses project from several portions of the main walls, including architecturally distinctive beehive-curved buttresses at the ends of the transepts. The roof is formed out of adobe laid on planking supported by timber vigas, set in distinctive doubly corbelled mounts. The vigas are also more closely spaced than is typically found in other examples of Spanish colonial architecture. The entrance is flanked by a pair of bell towers. ==History==

San Francisco de Asís was established in the early 18th century. and was completed in 1815 by the Franciscan order; its patron is Saint Francis of Assisi. The church was the center of the fortified plaza, which provided it protection against Comanche attacks. San Francisco de Asís has undergone several restorations or subsequent works in 1850, 1916 and 1933. In 1967, the archdiocese replaced the roof and the ceiling beams (vigas). It also installed replicas of the original corbels. The doors were also replaced with copies of the original design. ==Representation==

San Francisco de Asís was the subject of several paintings by Georgia O'Keeffe and photographs by Ansel Adams, Paul Strand and Ned Scott. O'Keeffe described it as "one of the most beautiful buildings left in the United States by the early Spaniards." The church was designated a National Historic Landmark in 1970. It is also designated as a World Heritage church. == Historic Photographs ==

Image:Rancho de Taos church7.jpg|Southern view, Mission Church of Ranchos de Taos (1936) Image:Rancho de Taos church1.jpg|Eastern view, Mission Church of Ranchos de Taos (1934) Image:Rancho de Taos church4.jpg|Interior nave, western view, Mission Church of Ranchos de Taos (1934) == Gallery ==

File:San_Francisco_de_Asís_Mission_Church_Building_Detail_Grade_Buttress.jpg|Grade Buttress File:San_Francisco_de_Asís_Mission_Church_Bell_Tower.jpg|North East Bell Tower File:San_Francisco_de_Asís_Mission_Church_North_East_Transept_Aps.jpg|North East Transept Apse File:San_Francisco_de_Asís_Mission_Church_South_West_Nave_Window.jpg|South West Nave Window File:San_Francisco_de_Asís_Mission_Church_Transept_Sacristy.jpg|Transept Sacristy Image:Mission Church of Ranchos de Taos, Ranchos de Taos (Taos County, New Mexico).jpg|South Facade Image:San Francisco de Asis Mission Church Main Altar.JPG|Altarpiece.(Restored 1981). Image:Altar San Francisco de Asis Mission Church.jpg|Altarpiece. Image:San Francisco de Asis Mission Church 2.JPG|Front Facade == See also ==