Consider the tale of a defrocked priest, a Civil War rooming house, and the birthplace of an Episcopal church. This is the story of the Padre Gallegos House.
The Padre Gallegos House stands here on Washington Avenue. It is a testament to a colorful past. Built between 1857 and 1862, the Padre Gallegos House became home to José Manuel Gallegos. He was a controversial priest defrocked by Bishop Lamy five years prior.
Padre Gallegos remains one of the most important figures in New Mexico’s mid-nineteenth-century history. Born in Abiquiu in 1815, Gallegos studied for the priesthood in Durango, Mexico. He was ordained in 1840. His early education was under the rebellious Padre Martínez of Taos.
Before settling here, Padre Gallegos ministered to various Indian pueblos and in Albuquerque. He also served in the departmental assembly of New Mexico. Some historians suspect he was a ringleader in a revolt against the Americans in 1846.
His defiance of church authority began with Bishop Lamy’s arrival in 1851. Lamy heard of Padre Gallegos’ gambling and dancing. He also heard of him associating with politicos. Bishop Lamy sent Vicar-General Machebeuf to replace him. Padre Gallegos revolted openly. Bishop Lamy then suspended him. Gallegos then claimed he held deeds from the bishop of Durango to the priest’s residence. The documents were possibly forged. Yet a suit by Vicar-General Machebeuf was dismissed in 1856.
While embroiled in controversy, Padre Gallegos was elected to the U.S. Congress in 1853. He was re-elected in 1855. He served until July 1856. Miguel A. Otero then unseated him. After moving to Santa Fe in 1857, Padre Gallegos served as speaker of the house four times. He also served two years as territorial treasurer. President Andrew Johnson appointed him superintendent of Indian Affairs in 1868. One more term in Congress from 1871 to 1873 ended his political career.
During and after the Civil War, part of the Padre Gallegos House served as a rooming house. Major John Ayres lived here for eighteen years. For a brief time, the first Episcopal Church in Santa Fe, “The Good Shepherd Mission,” was located in the north wing.
Padre Gallegos married Candelaria Montoya, a widow, in 1868. The wedding likely took place here. John Woart, chaplain of Fort Union, performed the ceremony. It became the first entry in the parish register of the Episcopal Church of the Holy Faith.
Padre Gallegos died of a stroke in 1875. The Daily New Mexican called him “the most universally known man in the Territory.” His funeral at St. Francis Cathedral was one of the largest in Santa Fe’s history. He rests in Rosario Cemetery.
The Padre Gallegos House was remodeled and restored to its original form in 1966-67. After a major fire, it was restored again twenty years later. Today, the Padre Gallegos House stands not only as a physical structure but as a symbol. It is a symbol of a complex man. It is a symbol of a turbulent time in New Mexico’s history. It is also a home to the popular restaurant Santacafé. In 1914, artist Sheldon Parsons lived here and the house became a meeting place for artists.