Historical Fiction · WarmTwo French priests work to establish a Catholic diocese in New Mexico after the territory passes to the United States
Death Comes for the Archbishop
by Willa Cather
Two priests build a diocese in nineteenth-century New Mexico
Jean Marie Latour, a bishop assigned to the new diocese, and his friend and vicar Joseph Vaillant work to establish the Catholic Church in New Mexico after the territory passed into American hands. Their efforts bring them into contact with settlers, Indigenous communities and established clergy. The novel is a stylized retelling of the lives of its clergy rather than a single plot, with frequent digressions and recollections. Alfred A. Knopf published it in 1927; it is based on the lives of Jean-Baptiste Lamy and Joseph Projectus Machebeuf.
More about this book
Who
Jean Marie Latour, Joseph Vaillant and the people they meet, including Father Martinez and the guide Jacinto.
World
The New Mexico Territory in the 19th century, with a prologue in Rome.
What makes it different
It is based on real clergy, Jean-Baptiste Lamy and Joseph Projectus Machebeuf, and partly chronicles the building of the cathedral in Santa Fe.
Feel
Serene and episodic.
Page count and cover shown for: Selected edition
Further reading
- Death Comes for the ArchbishopWikipedia