West of the Santa Fe Plaza, Guadalupe Street visitors will find the historic Nuestra Senora de Guadalupe Church, The Soul of Santa Fe. Continuing it daily parish activities, the church doubles as a museum of art and history, housing a collection of New Mexican santos, Italian Renaissance paintings and Mexican Baroque artwork. One of the museum's most treasured works is an oil painting of Our Lady of Guadalupe, composed in 1783 by one of Mexico’s most renowned artists, Jose de Alzibar.
   Dedicated to Our Lady of Guadalupe, the Catholic Church plays a significant role in the religious and cultural history of Santa Fe. Colonists from Mexico, arriving on the banks of the Santa Fe River in 1777, established a tiny adobe shrine to Our Lady of Guadalupe. Over the years, the church building was repaired, remodeled and expanded, achieving full fledged parish status in 1931. Outgrowing its confined space by the mid 1960s, a new church was built to accommodate its growing membership. The old Santuario was only used for secular activities, and eventually vandalized. In 1973, the Archbishop Robert F. Sanchez launched an effort to restore the historic structure, deeding over the building to the Guadalupe Historic Foundation. Beneficiaries of several grants, the Foundation hoped to restore the church to its original design. After the church was returned to the Guadalupe Parish, a pledge drive and other fund-raising events helped with the major renovation. An extensive effort to preserve church history was also launched, documenting the history of both the church and school.

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