Preserve Sacred Ground ~ For 400 years, this adobe church has held the stories, spirit, and soil of our community. Built by hand. Sustained by faith. Now, it’s our turn to preserve it—forever.
Give to the Chapel's Perpetual Preservation Project. Your gift makes history last.
"THE OLDEST CHURCH" ~ COMMUNITY ~ FAITH ~ HISTORY ~ MUSIC
Preservation
San Miguel Chapel Director, Laurianne Fiorentino, invites you to join "Friends of San Miguel" by filling out the subscribe form on the home page. After 3 years serving as the Concert Coordinator for the chapel, Laurianne was mentored by Director Emeritus, David Blackman, in the care of the chapel structure and its history, Docent recruitment & training, and the welcoming of visitors, local and worldwide, as Director since 2022.
She is also the creator, designer, photographer, videographer, event hostess
and hostess of this website as well as an award winning
international touring musician.
A word from Director Laurianne Fiorentino. (December 2025):
"History is not something to be admired from a distance, but something to be lived, tended, and passed forward in community.
San Miguel Chapel, standing gracefully on Old Santa Fe Trail, is far more than a historic landmark—it is a living testament to the layered story of Santa Fe and the spiritual endurance of its people. As the oldest church in the United States, its adobe walls hold centuries of faith, migration, and cultural exchange.
For world travelers and visitors, San Miguel Chapel offers an authentic connection to the origins of the American Southwest—where Indigenous craftsmanship, Spanish colonial devotion, and New Mexican resilience converge.
For families whose roots reach back generations, it remains a sacred touchstone—a place where ancestors once knelt, where traditions were handed down, and where the meaning of belonging transcends time. Each stone, each wooden beam, speaks of humanity’s enduring need for place, peace, prayer, and preservation.
The life of San Miguel Chapel today is sustained not merely by its age or architecture, but by the devotion of those who care for it and spend hours participating engaging the public on site. Docents,Volunteers, preservationists, and community members form the beating heart of this sacred site—giving their time, hands, and hearts to ensure its story continues to be told. Their work is not just maintenance; it is ministry. By greeting visitors, repairing adobe, and sharing the chapel’s history, they weave a community that bridges continents and centuries.
The chapel’s continued vitality embodies the spirit of Santa Fe itself: a city where heritage and humanity meet. In this shared stewardship, San Miguel Chapel becomes more than an artifact—it is a living community of faith, history, and hope, grounded in love for what endures. The chapel is a living testament to engaged community guided by the five
La Sallian principles which embody the dedication to quality education at Saint Michael's High School:
1. Faith in the presence of a higher power
2. Respect for all persons
3. Inclusive community
4. Quality education
5. Concern for the poor and social justice."
2025 Preservation Accomplishments.
Summer of 2025, with help and funding from The Catholic Foundation, Saint Michael's High School and Cornerstones Community Partnerships, repairing and adobe-plastering of the chapel's exterior walls began. It has been 11 years since they were repaired. The front of the chapel (west face), portions of the north and east walls were addressed. The process will continue in the summer 2026 until the entire exterior has been attended to. Here are a few photos and videos of that work.
VIDEOS
Click HERE for NATIONAL TRUST FOR HISTORICAL PRESERVATION
article on SOLAR AT SAN MIGUEL
Several preservation and restoration projects may be in process at any given time
in addition to the semi-annual routine mud plastering of the parapets (tops of outside walls) and wall bases where the chapel walls meet the ground. Currently, in 2025, 2026 & 2027, there is planned a restoration and repair of the chapel exterior walls - the last time they were plastered was during a 4 year period starting in 2010. One side per year is planned. You can help mud up the walls and/or donate with the button above. Thanks in advance for your help!
Please click HERE for the latest "Mud Blast" newsletter from Cornerstones Community Partnerships and learn more about this wonderful organization committed to restore historic buildings in the Southwest!
Click HERE to read the story of Director Emeritus David K.Blackman who for two decades worked to build relationships and connections towards chapel preservation.
To learn more about E Boyd, the woman, who restored the altar screen in 1955, click HERE
Adobe Wall Restoration
A room was added to the north side of the Chapel long ago and had served as a
gift-shop / entrance for visitors for many years. During the summer months of 2020, after the gift shop had been closed and emptied, Cornerstone Community Partnerships along with Saint Michael's High School repaired and restored the exterior wall of the Chapel (interior wall of the gift-shop). Introduced by David Blackman, Chapel Director Emeritus, this video shows you the incredible transformation from beginning to end.
Bi-Annual Chapel Preservation
Twice a year, in the spring and fall, the Chapel parapets (tops of the external walls),
and portions of external walls and buttresses must be re-plastered with adobe mud.
This repairs damage due to weather . Here you will see the process in action with Cornerstone Community Partnerships interns and Master Plasterer, Don Sena.
