Missions of Central California (Images of America)
Robert A. Bellezza
Language: English
Pages: 128
ISBN: 0738596809
Format: PDF / Kindle (mobi) / ePub
After the discovery of Alta California, the Spanish Crown charged the first Franciscan friars to enter into the New World through Lower Baja, with a succession of conquistadors, explorers, and soldiers, on a trail called El Camino Real or ""The Royal Road."" The settlement began in 1769 at Mission San Diego de Alcalá, a new port and military presidio with buildings of mud, brushwood, and tule grass. Fr. Junípero Serra, the legendary mission presidente and founding father of nine missions, traveled along a worn path lined today by symbolic bell markers leading to many remarkable, modern cities. After 1772, settlements were spread to California's central coast region, filling with native neophytes who became the residents and builders of all mission settlements. The Spanish missions had brought dramatic changes to California's landscape and forged the underpinnings of its earliest history, founded serendipitously with the American Revolution and birth of the United States.
the Catholic Church in 1878. A long period followed during which Mission San Miguel, Arcángel was brought nearer to completion, including more modern efforts made in 1901 and 1928. In 2003, a severe earthquake caused structural damage to the adobe building, resulting in closure of portions for further renovation that continues into 2013. The mission, rededicated in 2009, is open to visitors with a church, chapel, and bookstore. 83 The skills necessary for efficient farming were learned easily
some of the best-restored original artwork of all mission interiors. 95 Mission San Miguel, Arcángel’s irregular archways were studied and depicted in this elevation from the Library of Congress collection to guide the restorations beginning in 1928. An elevation drawing depicts the irregular archways and clearly shows the present-day building in intricate detail. To complete accurate restorations of the mission, careful attention was paid both inside and out to details over 100 years old. 96
the Holy Ghost, erected a big cross, and sang the Litany of the Saints. This 1928 photograph shows the standing church. It was 139 feet long and 26 feet wide and was built in 1817 by Fr. Francisco Xavier Uría following the severe earthquake of 1812. (Anderson Family Collection.) 97 Pictured in a magic lantern slide from 1911, Mission Santa Inés suffered from a severe winter storm that collapsed its original bell tower. The old mission espadaña toppled, and it was later replaced by a less
located at 2201 Laguna Street in Santa Barbara. Phone 805-6824713 or 805-682-4149 for the gift shop. Visit www.santabarbaramission.org for more information. (Author’s collection.) Mission Santa Bárbara’s church and monastery are a large complex of buildings that have been overseen from their founding by the Franciscan fathers. (Author’s collection.) 119 The arcade of Mission Santa Bárbara’s monastery is set in lush gardens that date back to the early settlement and display common species
Indians had been guaranteed property rights. In 1846, the American flag was raised over Monterey. A declaration followed that dispossessed all owners of property sold by Mexican governor Pío Pico. Loss of mission culture left the Indians and their families disbanded with little left of their ancestral homes or any promise of a future. 8 One The Valley of Hungry Bears Mission San Luis Obispo de Tolosa Governor Portolá wandered through La Cañada de los Osos during his first land expedition