San Gabriel Mission
About this property
Mission San Gabriel Arcángel (Spanish: Misión de San Gabriel Arcángel) is a Californian mission and historic landmark in San Gabriel, California. It was founded by the Spanish Empire on the Nativity of Mary September 8, 1771, as the fourth of what would become twenty-one Spanish missions in California. The mission was named after the Archangel Gabriel, and often referred to as the "Godmother of the Pueblo of Los Angeles." The mission was designed by Antonio Cruzado, who gave the building its capped buttresses and the tall narrow windows, which are unique among the missions of the California chain. It was completed in 1805. A large stone cross stands in the center of the Campo Santo (cemetery), first consecrated in 1778 and then again on January 29, 1939. It serves as the final resting place for some 6,000 neophytes. According to Spanish legend, the founding expedition was confronted by a large group of native Tongva peoples whose intention was to drive the strangers away. One of the priests laid a painting of Our Lady of Sorrows on the ground for all to see, whereupon the natives, designated by the settlers as the Gabrieleños, immediately made peace with the missionaries, as they were so moved by the painting's beauty. Today, the 300-year-old image hangs in front of and slightly to the left of the old high altar and reredos in the Mission's sanctuary. Resistance to the mission by the Tongva was recorded and how much the neophytes embraced Catholicism remains a subject of debate among scholars.
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Property data from the National Register of Historic Places, National Park Service (public domain).
Description adapted from Wikipedia under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.
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Questions about this property
When was San Gabriel Mission listed on the National Register?
San Gabriel Mission was listed on the National Register of Historic Places on May 5, 1971.
What type of historic resource is San Gabriel Mission?
San Gabriel Mission is classified as a building in the National Register of Historic Places.
What is the period of significance for San Gabriel Mission?
The period of significance for San Gabriel Mission is recorded as the colonial era.
Can I research the history near San Gabriel Mission?
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