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San Gabriel Mission, California

 
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Title
San Gabriel Mission, California
Description
An exterior view of the bell tower and church at Mission San Gabriel Arcangel near Los Angeles, California. Palm trees grow alongside the wall, next to a dirt road.
Format Extent
1 postcard : Color ; 9 x 14 cm.
Subject
Catholic church buildings--California--San Gabriel; Spanish mission buildings--California--San Gabriel; Missions, Spanish--California--San Gabriel;
Note
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.
Collection
Werner von Boltenstern Postcard Collection
Type
Geographic Location
San Gabriel (Calif.)
Language
eng
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