Ashley Fetner Fine Art Photography

  At the entrance of The Cathedral Basilica of St. Francis of Assisi in Santa Fe New Mexico, stands a bronze sculpture honoring Kateri Tekakwitha, the first Native American to be promoted a Saint.  Known as Blessed Catherine, she was born in 1656 to a Christian Algonquin mother and a Mohawk Chief near what is now known as Auriesville New York. When Kateri was four years old, a smallpox epidemic took the lives of her parents and her younger brother, leaving her weakened, with facial scars and partially blind.  Kateri was adopted by two aunts and an uncle who was also a Mohawk Chief. After the smallpox outbreak her people abandoned the village and began a new settlement, Caughnawaga, about five miles away. When Kateri was eighteen, a Jesuit missionary, Father de Lamberville, came to Caughnawage and established a chapel.  Her uncle did not like the missionary, (which he called “Blackrobe”) or his new religion but he gave permission for Kateri to have religious instruction.  As a child she had remembered her mother’s prayers and as she became older she spent time alone in the woods praying and listening to God. At the age of twenty Kateri was baptized and given her name “Kateri”, which is Mohawk for Catherine.  Because her family did not accept her decision to become Christian, she became an outcast.  She was ridiculed, tortured and even threatened with death.  So in July of 1677 she fled to the Catholic mission of St. Francis Xavier at Sault Saint-Louis near Montreal Canada.  It took her two months of hard travel through wilderness to reach the mission that was two hundred miles away.  Here she led a life of prayer and penitential practices.  She taught the young, and ministered to the poor and sick in the villages. She told stories about the life of Jesus and his followers. It was said that the people felt the very presence of God when they were around her.  Kateri made a vow to remain unmarried and to devote her life to Christ.  She wanted to start a convent for Native American Sisters but was discouraged from doing so.  She had been plagued with poor health all her life and due in part to the penances that she inflicted upon herself, her health deteriorated more.   Her spiritual director, Father Pierre Cholonec, encouraged Kateri to take better care of herself but she continued on in service to others.  Her poor health led to her death in1680 at the age of twenty four.  Her last words were” Jesus, I love you.”  The Catholic Church declared her venerable in 1943 and she was beautified in 1980 by Pope John Paul II.   The bronze sculpture is by Estella Loretto, an international known  Native American Artist, who is currently the only Native American Woman working in monumental bronze sculpture. The sign next to the sculpture reads:  “Blessed Kateri Tekakwitha” - “Estella Loretto – Artist - is honored to share the genuine spirit of “Kateri” embracing Kindness, Forgiveness, Love, Compassion and Joyful Peace.”  It is a truly compelling  sculpture -

Kay

Located in Santa Fe New Mexico is the beautiful and historic Cathedral Basilica of St. Francis of Assisi.  In 1598 the Franciscan Friars came with the Spanish colonists from Mexico and in1610 Santa Fe was founded and that same year the first church was built. The church was destroyed by the Pueblo Indian revolt in 1680.  The Spanish returned in 1693 but were unable to rebuild until 1714.  The church was renamed to honor St. Francis the patron saint of Santa Fe.  As the congregation grew the adobe church became too small so the present church was built in1886.  As you enter the sanctuary there are many interesting points of interest such as the Damiano Crucifix hanging above the sanctuary area. This crucifix is an exact replica of the crucifix in Assisi, Italy, from which the Lord bent down and told St. Francis: “Francis, go and repair my house.”  The alter screen was carved for the hundredth anniversary celebration of the cathedral in 1986. In the center is a statue of St. Francis that dates from the 1700’s.The screen was painted by the famous artist, Robert Lentz.  Also behind the alter is the crypt where Archbishop Lamy and other archbishops and priest are buried.  The baptismal font is made of Brazilian granite, the stained-glass windows were purchased in Clermont-Ferrand, France and installed in 1884 and the pipe organ was installed around 1895.  In October of 2005, Pope Benedict XVI officially upgraded the church to Basilica. Basilica means a church of particular importance in Rome and abroad.  The cathedral is a “must see” if you are in the Santa Fe area.

Kay

Located in Santa Fe New Mexico is the beautiful and historic Cathedral Basilica of St. Francis of Assisi.  In 1598 the Franciscan Friars came with the Spanish colonists from Mexico and in1610 Santa Fe was founded and that same year the first church was built. The church was destroyed by the Pueblo Indian revolt in 1680.  The Spanish returned in 1693 but were unable to rebuild until 1714.  The church was renamed to honor St. Francis the patron saint of Santa Fe.  As the congregation grew the adobe church became too small so the present church was built in1886.  The yellow limestone blocks used in the construction of the church were quarried in the present site of Lamy New Mexico, which was named after Archbishop Jean-Baptiste Lamy.  In October of 2005, Pope Benedict XVI officially upgraded the church to Basilica. Basilica means a church of particular importance in Rome and abroad.

Kay

Located on the top of Sandia Crest (elevation10, 678 feet) is the Steel Forest of the Sandia Crest Electronic Site.  The site began in 1945 with a New Mexico State Police transmitter and has grown into a major communication route for the western United States. The site provides AM/FM radio, television, commercial two-way radio repeaters, weather radars, electric utility radio systems, Forest Service radios, military base services, other long distance carriers, several local government net works including public safety and emergency medical services.  It is said to be one of the most crowded electrical sites in the world!  Although the operators of this site hold a lease agreement for this area of public land, it was strange to see a site like this in such a beautiful natural place but the Forest Service is continually working to protect the health of this natural ecosystem so all can enjoy for many years to come.   

Kay

To the east of Albuquerque, located in the Cibola National Forest, is Sandia Crest, the most visited mountain range in New Mexico.  The fourteen mile scenic drive to the summit is the highest in the Southwest with an elevation of 10,678 feet.  Sandia Crest also has the world’s longest aerial tramway that ascends over four thousand feet above the deep canyons.  At the crest there is an 11,000 square mile panoramic view with Albuquerque and the Rio Grand to the west and to the north and east are the Sangre de Cristo, Jemez and Ortiz mountains.  Sandia is Spanish for watermelon—it is believed that the mountains acquired the name due to the reddish color of the mountains at sunset.

Kay

The San Jose Bell is on display in the San Miguel Mission in Santa Fe New Mexico.  Built in 1610, the San Miguel Mission is the oldest church in the United States.  The San Jose Bell was cast in Southern Spain in 1356 to commemorate the Christian victory over the Moors. More gold and silver were needed to complete the bell so the local citizens donated their personal jewelry.  The bell weighs 780 pounds and is on average 3.5 inches thick.  It is composed of 600 pounds of copper, brass and iron, 155 pounds of silver and 20 pounds of gold. The inscription reads “San Jose, Rogad por nosotros Agosto 9 de 1356” (Saint Joseph pray for us August 9 1356).  The bell was dedicated to Saint Joseph in return for the people’s prayers for victory being fulfilled.  In 1812 Senora Loretta Ortiz purchased the bell in Vera Cruz Mexico and brought it to Santa Fe where she placed it in the courtyard of her home.  In 1848, Don Simon Delgado, a relative of the Ortiz family, obtained the bell along with the San Miguel Mission.  He built a three-tiered tower on top of the mission and hung the bell in the upper tower.  During the winter of 1872 a winter storm caused the bell to shift and both the tower and bell fell.

Kay

Built in 1610 by Tlaxcala Indians from Mexico, San Miguel Mission in Santa Fe is the oldest church in the United States.  In fact it is older than the Jamestown Settlements, the Puritan Settlement in New England and the landing of the Spanish in Florida. Archaeologists have found evidence that Native Americans occupied this site as early as 1300 A.D. The foundation of the original church can still be seen under the sanctuary today.  Part of the structure was damaged during the Pueblo Revolt in 1680 but was rebuilt after the Spanish took control in 1692. San Miguel is not only part of the historical and culture heritage of New Mexico it is a shrine to St. Michael.  The interior is a combination of Spanish Baroque and Native American art works dating back to the 1600’s.  The wooden alter screen is the oldest in New Mexico dating back to 1798.  The top painting is of St. Michael with St. Teresa on the left and St. Gertrude on the right.  In the center is a painting of Christ the Nazarene with St. Francis of Assisi to the left and St. Louis to the right.  There is a carved wooden statue, gilded and painted, of St. Michael the Archangel celebrating his victory over Satan.  The statue was brought from Mexico in 1709.  There is also a Buffalo hide and deerskin Bible painting used by Franciscan missionaries to teach the Native Americans.

Kay

Built in 1610 by Tlaxcala Indians from Mexico, San Miguel Mission in Santa Fe is the oldest church in the United States.  In fact it is older than the Jamestown Settlements, the Puritan Settlement in New England and the landing of the Spanish in Florida. Archaeologists have found evidence that Native Americans occupied this site as early as 1300 A.D. The foundation of the original church can still be seen under the sanctuary today.  Part of the structure was damaged during the Pueblo Revolt in 1680 but was rebuilt after the Spanish took control in 1692.  San Miguel is not only part of the historical and culture heritage of New Mexico it is a shrine to St. Michael.  Mass is celebrated at San Miguel weekly.

Kay

The Turquoise Trail is a back road connecting Albuquerque and Santa Fe New Mexico.  As you travel along this scenic byway you will find a landscape of mountains, canyons, forest, and rock formations. One of the interesting rock formations is the Garden of the Gods, a variegated landscape, which extends for about three miles on both sides of the road just north of Cerrillos New Mexico.  Over 70 million years ago streams deposited horizontal beds of colorful sandstone and mudstone.  The earth’s movement gradually pushed these beds into the vertical positions that you see today.

The San Marcos Pueblo was about a mile from the Garden of the Gods, and each spring the pueblo people would plant their crops in the valley between the rock formations. Because this area was sacred ground to the Indians they carved religious   petroglyphs, and erected stone shrines to honor the kachina spirits that brought rain and protected their crops.   In the 1880’s, the Indians reverence of the land, led the    government surveyors to name this area Garden of the Gods.

Kay

Orchids are known for their delicate beauty, exotic character and graceful appearance.  I have always loved them but have not had the chance to have a “closer look” but that changed the day I met Linda “The Orchid Lady”.  She invited Ashley and me to Seagrove Orchids in Seagrove, North Carolina, where she and her partner Mike are in the business of growing and selling these amazing flowers.  I have always thought of Orchids as tropical flowers but they actually grow naturally on every continent except Antarctica.  They thrive in elevations from sea level to 15,000 feet.  I was amazed at how many varieties there are—depending what article you read they are estimated to be between 20,000 to 30,000 different types with more being discovered each year!  There is a great deal of folklore regarding orchids.   The ancient Greeks thought orchids were a sign of virility.  In fact Greek women believed if the father of their unborn child ate large, new Orchid tubers, that their child would be a boy.  If the mother ate small, Orchid tubers, the child would be a girl. Orchids were believed to have various healing properties to ward off diseases.  The Chinese believed that Orchids could cure lung illness and coughs.  The Aztecs were said to drink a mixture of Vanilla Orchids with chocolate to give them power and strength.  In Victorian England the Orchid was the symbol of wealth and luxury.  As Ashley and I entered the greenhouse we were amazed at the variety of colors, shapes and smells that surrounded us. We thoroughly enjoyed our visit and brought back some images to share with you.  If you are an Orchid lover check out Linda’s website www.seagroveorchids.com  and give them a visit!

Kay