Identifier	clloy_179
Title	Interior San Gabriel Mission, So. California
Creator	Unknown
Date Published	1910-1930
Subject (Topic)	Catholic church buildings--California--San Gabriel; Spanish mission buildings--California--San Gabriel; Missions, Spanish--California--San Gabriel;
Subject (Name)	Mission San Gabriel Arcangel (San Gabriel, Calif.);
Subject (Place)	San Gabriel (Calif.);
Type	image
Form/Genre	Postcards
Physical Description	1 postcard : Color ; 9 x 14 cm.
Institution	Department of Archives and Special Collections, William H. Hannon Library, Loyola Marymount University
Country of Creation	DE
Copyright Status	public domain
Copyright Statement	http://library.lmu.edu/collections/digitallibraryprogram/copyrightandreproductionpolicy/
Language	eng
Description	An interior view of the San Gabriel Mission looking towards the altar. Paintings hang along the walls of the chapel, and several large sculpted figures stand behind the altar.
Historical Background	The San Gabriel Mission is the fourth of Alta California's 21 Franciscan missions, sometimes called the "Queen of the Missions" due to its wealth and prosperity. It was originally founded in 1771 by Fathers Angel Somera and Pedro Bonito Cambon on another site nearer to the San Gabriel River, but was moved in 1775 after the river flooded. The new building's architecture was influenced by the cathedral at Cordoba, Spain. In its early years, the mission functioned as a garrison for Spanish soldiers charged with protecting the region, although the soldiers' conduct toward the natives sometimes provoked more violence than it pacified. In 1781, settlers from the San Gabriel mission founded the Pueblo de la Reina de Los Angeles nine miles to the West. As the pueblo grew into a city, the mission's prosperity grew as well. The church was home to a hammered copper baptismal font, given by King Carlos III of Spain in 1771, as well as six valuable altar statues brought from spain in 1791. In 1834, after the secularization of the missions, its cattle and other valuables were soon plundered. The buildings fell into disrepair until 1908, when a group of Claretian Missionary Fathers began restoration work. Although the mission was damaged in a 1987 earthquake, much of the original complex has since been restored.
Publisher's Identifier	Series number: 102
Additional Notes	Printed in Germany; Photograph by Chas. Weidner, San Francisco; Printed on textured paper.
Contributors	Weidner, Charles
Source	Werner von Boltenstern Postcard Collection