Mission San Gabriel Arcangel, also known as the San Gabriel Mission, is a former Roman Catholic mission and current historic landmark; it was the fourth of 21 California missions to be founded. The founding date was September 8, 1771, and Padres Pedro Benito Cambon and Angel Fernandes de la Somera were the founding priests. The mission was built from 1791 to 1805 out of cut stone, brick, and mortar, and is the oldest structure of its kind south of Monterey, Ca. It was designed by Father Antonio Cruzado, and is often referred to as the "Godmother of the Pueblo of Los Angeles". Father Cruzado gave the building its strong Moorish architectural influence, with capped buttresses and tall, narrow windows, which are unique among the missions of the California chain. In the early mission era, it came to be known as the "Pride of the Missions" and became the wealthiest of all the early missions due to its large production of crops and trading of cattle hides and wine. On October 1, 1987 the Whittier Narrows Earthquake heavily damaged the mission, but it was fully restored between 1987 and 1993. Today, San Gabriel possesses perhaps the finest collection of mission relics in existence. It has a hammered copper baptismal font that was the gift of King Carlos III of Spain in 1771, and six priceless altar statues that were brought around the Horn from Spain in 1791. Mission San Gabriel Arcangel was added in 1971 as a National Historic Landmark, building #71000158. It is also a California Historical Landmark, No. 158. Two addresses are given for the mission: 428 South Mission Drive, and 537 West Mission Drive at Junipero Street. Partial view of the south facade of Mission San Gabriel Arcangel in San Gabriel, showing the 6-bell campanario and an adobe house on the far left. The adobe was constructed in 1812 and is almost 300 feet long. It was originally composed of a series of rooms: weaving rooms, the granary, carpenter shops, book storage, and sleeping quarters for the mission fathers. Many years later it would become the Mission's museum, housing exhibits, relics, priceless books dating back to 1489, religious artifacts, and a remarkable collection of garments worn by the mission fathers dating back to the 17th century.
Type
image
Format
1 photographic print :b&w ;15 x 25 cm. on sheet 21 x 26 cm. Photographic prints
Mission San Gabriel Arcangel (San Gabriel, Calif.) Missions, Spanish--California--San Gabriel Church buildings--California--San Gabriel Adobe houses--California--San Gabriel Bells--California--San Gabriel Cruzado, Antonio San Gabriel (Calif.)
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