San Miguel Chapel

Oldest church still in use in the United States

A small adobe chapel south of the Plaza, built around 1610 by Mexican Indian labourers — making it, by most measures, the oldest church still in use in the United States. The roof and parts of the walls have been rebuilt several times after fires and the 1680 Pueblo Revolt, but the lower walls and the foundations are original.

The interior holds painted hide reredos, a fragment of original wall, and the San José Bell. Modest entry fee; combine with the De Vargas Street House across the road, which claims to be the oldest house in the country.

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A story
Inside the chapel hangs the San José Bell, cast in Spain in 1356 and brought to New Mexico in the seventeenth century — possibly the oldest church bell in the country. Local lore claims it once rang on its own to warn the city of an approaching attack.

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