OLDEST -- Church in Colorado - San Acacio, CO
N 37° 12.109 W 105° 30.499
13S E 454891 N 4117382
The Capilla de Viejo San Acacio is considered to be the oldest standing church in Colorado.
Waymark Code: WMGPK7
Location: Colorado, United States
Date Posted: 03/28/2013
Views: 3
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Capilla de Viejo San Acacio is considered by many to be the oldest church in Colorado. However, a drive along US 285 near Antonito reveals a sign pointing to Our Lady of Guadalupe also claiming to be the "oldest church in Colorado." The confusion results from the terminology and vague histories behind each church.
First, Our Lady of Guadalupe is documented by the Catholic church and marked by the Colorado Historical Society. It is indeed the first parish in Colorado, established in 1858 by John B. Lamy, first bishop of Santa Fe (see this waymark). However, the first church burned down in 1926 and the present building was dedicated in December 1927.
The chapel at Viejo San Acacio was also established by early Spanish-American settlers, but its history is somewhat more clouded. A sign at the church bears the date 1856 and another hand-painted sign reads 1853. The Colorado Historical Society dates its construction to the early 1860's in the National Register of Historic Places document (see this waymark).
However, since the Lady of Guadalupe burned in the 1920's, Viejo San Acacio is indeed the oldest standing church in Colorado. It is also a beautiful relic of the earliest American settlers to the region and a good example of an adobe single-room Spanish style mission.