Mission San Gabriel "The Moorish Mission"

The unique architecture of Mission San Gabriel. When originally built there was a bell tower on the right side of the front of this mission. The tower collapsed in an earthquake in 1812.

This mission, built of stone, not adobe, bears a marked resemblance to the Cathedral in Cordoba Spain. That Cathedral itself had originally been a mosque. It was re-dedicated as a Catholic Church after the re-conquest  in 1492. The priest responsible for the design of San Gabriel had received his early training in Cordoba.
 The high buttressed walls are unique among all of the California Missions.

The Missions Introduced California to Irrigation

Mill Race Mission San Antonio.

The California Missions were not just churches. They were large agricultural/industrial complexes. The Franciscans introduced agriculture to this now most agricultural of all states. Next they introduced irrigation to this most irrigated of all states.

Water, for the workings of Mission San Antonio was brought from a reservoir seven miles away through a very complex system of ditches, canals and aqueducts. Much of that system is still in use today.

Teaching Music to the Natives

The third Mission. Mission San Antonio de Padua. The monks used positions on the hand to indicate
 notes on the scale.
Mission San Antonio was the site of the first Christian marriage in California. A soldier from Sonora Mexico and a woman of the local Salinan people were married here on May 16, 1773.

Who is buried in Serra's tomb??

Hint; it is not Junipero Serra.

Actually no one is buried in this tomb.

Junipero Serra died in 1784 and was interred under the floor of the main altar "on the Gospel side." (The left side from the congregations perspective)  In 1924 this Cenotaph was dedicated with the thought that Serra's remains would be interred in it. Public sentiment was overwhelmingly opposed to removing Serra's remains from under the altar.
The monument was placed in a side chapel at the mission. The figures represent the four monks who are buried beneath the altar. Father Serra, Father Crespi, Father Lasuen and Father Lopez.

The Death of Serra

Mission San Carlos Borromeo

Misson San Carlos Borromeo, Carmel California.

Mission Myth #1 "The Missions were built a day's journey apart for travelers. This is the second Mission built. It is over 500 miles from the first Mission at San Diego. Not a days journey for any traveler using any mode of transportation available in 1770.

 

Christ Has No Arms but Ours

This is somewhat untraditional representation of the Crucifixion. There is a story behind this depiction. Read about it in http://www.johnohaganbooks.blogspot.com

San Diego Armless Corpus

One of the most striking, some would say grim, decorations in all of the Missions is the armless corpus on the crucifix at Mission San Diego.

It is meant to be a reminder to us: "The People Must Be The Arms of Christ."

San Diego That Narrow Church and High Windows

This is a good view of the narrow church and high narrow
windows I referred to in my earlier post. The church could only be
as wide as the tallest trees in the area.

The windows were so high so that their horizontal members
would not have to bear so much weight.

Visitors to San Diego are struck by how narrow it is and by how high and narrow the windows are.

The mission is so narrow because, the Franciscans had no practical way to string longitudinal supports together. The mission could only be as wide as the tallest trees which could be harvested.

The placement of the windows, and their width were also dictated by the crude building techniques employed. The lower the windows were, and the wider they were, the more weight their horizontal sills would have to bear.

Welcome!

If you are visiting this blog, thank you! I just released Lands Never Trodden: The Franciscans and the California Missions published by Caxton Press and I look forward to interacting with fans of Missions and especially California Missions here on this blog.

Available at Amazon