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| Mission Basilica San Diego de Alcala |
Our fun weekend with Rob included a visit to the Mission Basilica San Diego.
Mission San Diego was the first of a chain of
21 missions that stretched northward along the coast of California and became
known as the Mother of the Missions.
Founded in 1769 by Spanish friar Junipero Serra, the San Diego Mission
was moved to its present site in 1774 to be closer to the Kumeyaay native
villages and near a reliable source of water with suitable land for farming.
Just one year after the adobe church was
completed, the mission was attacked by Indians and the tinder dry buildings were
burned to the ground.
The sparsely
furnished casa del Padre Serra, where the friar resided during his frequent
visits to the Mission, is the only remaining piece of the original 1774 construction.
However, Padre Serra returned to the gutted
site in 1776 and began restoration of the church and mission buildings, adding an
outer defense wall around the complex.
Most of the reconstruction was completed by 1790, arranged in a
quadrangle around a courtyard.
The campanario (bell
tower) played an important role at missions; the San Diego Mission had five
bells which were rung at meal times and used as a call to religious services
and work gatherings.
The bells were also
rung at funerals, births, and to signal the approach of a ship.
When Mexico gained its independence in 1821, the
missions were offered for sale to citizens but they were unable to come up with the
funds so all mission property was broken up into ranchos and given to
ex-military officers who had fought in the War of Independence against
Spain.
As a result, Mission San Diego
was given over to Santiago Arguello.
Then
after the U.S.-Mexican War in 1848, the US Cavalry used the mission as a
military presence until 1857; five years later, the mission lands were returned
to the Catholic Church by order of President Abraham Lincoln. Father Anthony
Ubach began restoring the old San Diego Mission buildings in the 1880’s.
Today, the Mission serves as an active parish
for the Catholic community and remains a cultural and historic treasure.
The canopy or umbrella hanging in the chapel identifies this Mission as a basilica (church), an honor bestowed by the Pope. The church and its small museum are filled
with old paintings and artifacts that have survived over the years.
Additional artifacts were recovered from
archaeological excavations next to the church.
The archeological dig site is the location of frontal rooms that once stood
here, used by visiting padres of the earlier 1774 church.
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| Pomegranate Tree |
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| Mission San Diego Basilica |
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| The Campanario (bell tower) |
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| Excavation Site |
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| Casa del Padre Serra |
Our fun weekend with Rob included a visit to the Mission Basilica San Diego. Mission San Diego was the first of a chain of
21 missions that stretched northward along the coast of California and became
known as the Mother of the Missions.
Founded in 1769 by Spanish friar Junipero Serra, the San Diego Mission
was moved to its present site in 1774 to be closer to the Kumeyaay native
villages and near a reliable source of water with suitable land for farming. Just one year after the adobe church was
completed, the mission was attacked by Indians and the tinder dry buildings were
burned to the ground. The sparsely
furnished casa del Padre Serra, where the friar resided during his frequent
visits to the Mission, is the only remaining piece of the original 1774 construction. However, Padre Serra returned to the gutted
site in 1776 and began restoration of the church and mission buildings, adding an
outer defense wall around the complex.
Most of the reconstruction was completed by 1790, arranged in a
quadrangle around a courtyard. The campanario (bell
tower) played an important role at missions; the San Diego Mission had five
bells which were rung at meal times and used as a call to religious services
and work gatherings. The bells were also
rung at funerals, births, and to signal the approach of a ship. When Mexico gained its independence in 1821, the
missions were offered for sale to citizens but they were unable to come up with the
funds so all mission property was broken up into ranchos and given to
ex-military officers who had fought in the War of Independence against
Spain. As a result, Mission San Diego
was given over to Santiago Arguello. Then
after the U.S.-Mexican War in 1848, the US Cavalry used the mission as a
military presence until 1857; five years later, the mission lands were returned
to the Catholic Church by order of President Abraham Lincoln. Father Anthony
Ubach began restoring the old San Diego Mission buildings in the 1880’s. Today, the Mission serves as an active parish
for the Catholic community and remains a cultural and historic treasure. The canopy or umbrella hanging in the chapel identifies this Mission as a basilica (church), an honor bestowed by the Pope. The church and its small museum are filled
with old paintings and artifacts that have survived over the years. Additional artifacts were recovered from
archaeological excavations next to the church.
The archeological dig site is the location of frontal rooms that once stood
here, used by visiting padres of the earlier 1774 church.
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