Reredos of Our Lady of Light, Stone altar screen in Cristo Rey Church, Santa Fe, United States
The Reredos of Our Lady of Light in Cristo Rey Church is a monumental stone altar screen displaying six religious figures arranged across multiple tiers and representing various saints. The carved figures rest within carefully designed architectural frames that showcase the craftsmanship of the stonework.
Francisco Antonio Marin del Valle commissioned Mexican stonemasons from Zacatecas in 1761 to create this reredos for the military chapel known as La Castrense. The work originated from a period when colonial churches invested in crafted pieces executed with significant skill.
The representation of Saint James as Santiago Matamoros shows how Spanish traditions shaped the religious art that developed in colonial New Mexico.
The reredos stands within Cristo Rey Church and can be viewed whenever the building is open to visitors. Plan time to look closely at the carving details, especially if you want to see traces of original pigment and appreciate the stone quality.
The reredos was carved from volcanic stone, and traces of colored paint remain visible on the surface, hinting at how the work originally appeared. This piece represents a rare example of large-scale stonework of this kind from the early colonial period.
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