Mission San Juan Capistrano: Difference between revisions

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==Mission history==

[[Image:Mission San Juan Capistrano 4-5-05 100 6535.JPG|thumb|250px|right|A statue of Father Junípero Serra and an Indian boy, sculpted by '''Tole van Rensalaar'''. The work was commissioned in 1914 by Father St. John O'Sullivan to depict the meeting of the two cultures.]]

===The Spanish (Mission) Era (1776 – 1820)===

The Mission site was chosen as a logical halfway point between [[San Gabriel]] and [[San Diego]], situated within the ''First Military District''. Actually, the Mission was founded twice; the site was originally consecrated by Father [[Fermín Francisco Lasuén|Fermín Francisco de Lasuén]] and '''Father Gregório Amúrrio''' on [[October 30]], [[1775]] near an [[Native Americans in the United States|Indian]] settlement named ''Sajivit''. Eight days later, [[Mission San Diego de Alcalá]] came under Indian attack. Since it was feared at the time that any hostile action by the natives against the few burgeoning outposts might break [[Spain|Spain]]'s tenuous hold on [[Alta California]], the fathers quickly buried the San Juan Capistrano Mission bells and the expedition returned to [[Presidio of San Diego|El Presidio de San Diego]] in order to quell the uprising.

[[Image:Mission San Juan Capistrano 4-5-05 100 6535.JPG|thumb|250px|right|A statue of Father Junípero Serra and an Indian boy, sculpted by '''Tole van Rensalaar'''. The work was commissioned in 1914 by Father St. John O'Sullivan to depict the meeting of the two cultures.]]

One year later Fathers Serra and Lasuén returned to once again begin work on the Mission at San Juan Capistrano. They uncovered the bells and discovered that a wooden cross that had been erected during the original dedication was still standing. However, due to an inadequate water supply the Mission site was relocated approximately three miles to the west near another Indian village, this one called ''Acágcheme''. According to a report filed in 1782 by '''Father Pablo Mugártegui''', "''...the site was transferred to that which it occupies today, where we have the advantage of secure water...this transfer was made on [[October 4]], [[1778]].''" The new venue was strategically placed above two nearby [[stream]]s, the [[Trabuco Canyon, California|Trabuco]] and the San Juan. [[Mission San Gabriel Arcángel]] provided [[cattle]] and neophyte labor to assist in the development of new the Mission.

In 1778, the first [[adobe]] ''capilla'' (chapel) was blessed. It was replaced by a larger, 115-foot long house of worship in 1782, which is believed to be the oldest standing building in California. Known proudly as "Father Serra's Church," it has the distinction of being the only remaining church in which the padre is known to have officiated ([[Mission San Francisco de Asis|Mission Dolores]] was still under construction at the time of Serra's visit there). Father Serra presided over the confirmations of 213 people on October 12 and 13, 1783; divine services are held there to this day. By that time living quarters, kitchens (''pozolera''), workshops, storerooms, soldiers' barracks (''cuartels''), and a number of other ancillary buildings had also been erected, effectively forming the main ''cuadrángulo'' (quadrangle).

[[Image:1916 Rexford Newcomb plan view -- Mission San Juan Capistrano.jpg|thumb|300px|left|A plan view of the Mission San Juan Capistrano complex prepared by architectural historian [[Rexford Newcomb]] in 1916.]]

California's first vineyard was located on the Mission grounds, with the planting of the "Mission" or "[[Criollo]]" grape in 1779, one grown extensively throughout Spanish America at the time but with "an uncertain European origin." It was the only grape grown in the Mission system throughout the mid-[[1800s]]. The first winery in Alta California was built in San Juan Capistrano in 1783; both red and white [[wine]]s (sweet and dry), and [[brandy]] were all produced from the Mission grape.

In 1791, the Mission's two original bells were removed from the tree branch on which they had been hanging for the previous fifteen years and placed within a permanent mounting. Over the next two decades the Mission prospered, and in 1794 over seventy adobe structures were built in order to provide permanent housing for the Mission Indians, some of which comprise the oldest residential neighborhood in California. It was decided that a larger, [[European]]-style church was required to accommodate the growing population. Hoping to construct an edifice of truly magnificent proportions, the padres retained the services of expert [[Mexican]] stonemason '''Isidoro Aguílar'''. Aguílar took charge of the church's construction and set about incorporating numerous design features not found at any other California Mission, including the use of a [[dome]]d roof structure made of [[Rock (geology)|stone]] as opposed to the typical flat wood roof. His elegant roof design called for six [[vault]]ed domes (''bovedas'') to be built.

Work was begun on "The Great Stone Church" on February 2, 1797. It was laid out in the shape of a cross, measuring 180 feet long by 40 feet wide with 50-foot high walls, and included a 120-foot tall ''campanile'' ("bell tower") located adjacent to the main entrance that could be seen for miles around. The building sat on a [[foundation (architecture)|foundation]] seven feet thick. Construction efforts required the participation of the entire ''[[Wiktionary:neophyte|neophyte]]'' population. Stones were quarried from gullies and creek beds up to six miles away and transported in carts (''carretas'') drawn by [[oxen]], carried by hand, and even dragged to the building site. [[Limestone]] was crushed into a powder on the Mission grounds to create a [[mortar (masonry)|mortar]] that was more erosion-resistant than the actual stones.

[[Image:Mission San Juan Capistrano 4-5-05 100 6583.JPG|thumb|300px|left|A close-up view of the majestic ruins of Mission San Juan Capistrano's "Great Stone Church," dubbed the "[[American Acropolis]]" in reference to its classical [[Greco-Roman]] style.]]

[[Image:Mission San Juan Capistrano 4-5-05 100 6583.JPG|thumb|300px|leftright|A close-up view of the majestic ruins of Mission San Juan Capistrano's "Great Stone Church," dubbed the "[[American Acropolis]]" in reference to its classical [[Greco-Roman]] style.]]

Work was begun on "The Great Stone Church" on February 2, 1797. It was laid out in the shape of a cross, measuring 180 feet long by 40 feet wide with 50-foot high walls, and included a 120-foot tall ''campanile'' ("bell tower") located adjacent to the main entrance that could be seen for miles around. The building sat on a [[foundation (architecture)|foundation]] seven feet thick. Construction efforts required the participation of the entire ''[[Wiktionary:neophyte|neophyte]]'' population. Stones were quarried from gullies and creek beds up to six miles away and transported in carts (''carretas'') drawn by [[oxen]], carried by hand, and even dragged to the building site. [[Limestone]] was crushed into a powder on the Mission grounds to create a [[mortar (masonry)|mortar]] that was more erosion-resistant than the actual stones.

Unfortunately, Señor Aguílar died six years into the project. His work was carried on by the padres and their charges, who made their best attempts to emulate the existing construction. Lacking the skills of a master mason, however, led to irregular walls and necessitated the addition of a seventh roof dome. The church was finally completed in 1806, and blessed by '''Fray Estévan Tapís''' on the evening of September 7th. The sanctuary floors were paved with diamond-shaped [[tile]]s, and [[brick]]-lined niches displayed the statues of various saints. It was by all accounts the most magnificent in all of California and a three-day feast was held in celebration of this monumental achievement.

Tragedy struck the settlement when on [[December 8]], [[1812]] (the "Feast Day of the Immaculate Conception of the Blessed Virgin") a series of massive [[earthquake]]s shook Southern California during the first Sunday service. Twelve years earlier a minor earth [[tremor]] had hit, causing only superficial damage to the work in progress. The 1812 [http://www.data.scec.org/chrono_index/wrightwd.html Wrightwood Earthquake] racked the doors to the church, pinning them shut. When the ground finally stopped shaking, the bulk of the nave had come crashing down, and the bell tower was completely obliterated. Forty-two worshippers from the local '''Ahachamai''' Indian band (referred to as ''[[Juaneño Indians|Juaneños]]'' by the [[Spaniards]]) who were attending mass were buried under the rubble and lost their lives, and were subsequently interred in the Mission cemetery. This was the second major setback the outpost had suffered, and followed severe storms and flooding that damaged Mission buildings and ruined crops earlier in the year.

The padres immediately returned to holding services in Serra's Church. Within a year a brick ''campanario'' ("bell wall") had been erected between the ruins of the stone church and the Mission's first chapel to support the four bells salvaged from the rubble of the campanile. As the [[transept]], [[sanctuary]] (''reredos''), and ''sacristia'' ([[sacristy]]) were all left standing, an attempt was made to rebuild the stone church in 1815 which failed due to a lack of construction expertise (the latter is the only element that is completely intact today). Consequently, all of the construction work undertaken at the Mission grounds thereafter was of a strictly utilitarian nature.

[[Image:Mission san juan capistrano0001.jpg|thumbnail|300px|leftright|A [[Islamic architecture|Moorish]]-style fountain inside Mission San Juan Capistrano's central courtyard, built in the [[1920s]] through the efforts of Father St. John O'Sullivan.]]

'''Father José Barona''' and '''Father Gerónimo Boscana''' oversaw the construction of a small infirmary ([[hospital]]) building (located just outside the northwestern corner of the quadrangle) in 1814, "for the convenience of the sick." It is here that Indian '''medicine men''' used traditional methods to heal the sick and injured. [[Archaeological]] excavations in 1937 and 1979 unearthed what are believed to be the building's foundations..

On [[December 14]], [[1818]] the [[France|French]] [[privateer]] [[Hippolyte de Bouchard|Hipólito Bouchard]], sailing under an [[Argentina|Argentinian]] flag, brought his ships ''Argentine'' and ''Santa Rosa'' to within sight of the Mission and sent forth an envoy with a demand for provisions. The [[garrison]] [[soldiers]] were aware that Bouchard (California'a only [[pirate]]) had recently conducted raids on the settlements at [[Monterey]] and [[Santa Barbara, California|Santa Barbara]], so the demand was rebuffed and threats of reprisals against the pirate band were made. In response, Bouchard ordered an assault on the Mission, sending some 140 men and a trio of cannon to take the needed supplies by force. The Mission guards engaged the attackers but were overwhelmed, and the privateers left several damaged buildings in their wake, including the ''Governor's house'', the ''King's stores'', and the barracks. Today, a celebration is held annually to memorialize the event.

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[[Mexico]] gained its independence from [[Spain]] in 1821. The [[1820s]] and [[1830s|30s]] saw a gradual decline in the Mission's status. Disease thinned out the once ample [[cattle]] [[herd]]s, and a sudden infestation of [[Mustard plant|mustard weed]] made it increasingly difficult to [[cultivate]] [[agriculture|crops]]. Floods and droughts took their toll as well. But the biggest threat to the Mission's stability came from the presence of [[Spanish people|Spanish]] settlers who sought to take over Capistrano's fertile lands. Over time the disillusioned Indian population gradually left the Mission, and without regular maintenance its physical deterioration continued at an accelerated rate.

[[Image:CHS.J3075.jpg|thumb|300px|rightleft|The caretaker chats with guests beneath the shade of one of Mission San Juan Capistrano's courtyard arcades. The facility's advanced state of decay is evident.]]

Nevertheless, there was sufficient activity along [[El Camino Real (California)|El Camino Real]] to justify the construction of the [[Las Flores Asistencia]] in 1823. This facility, situated halfway between San Juan Capistrano and the Mission at [[Mission San Luis Rey de Francia|San Luís Rey]], was intended to act primarily as a rest stop for traveling clergy. During the same period the '''Diego Sepúlveda Adobe''' was established as an ''estancia'' (way-station) for the ''[[vaquero]]s'' ([[cowboys]]) who tended the Mission herds, in what today is the City of [[Costa Mesa, California|Costa Mesa]]. Following secularization, ownership passed to '''Don Diego Sepúlveda'''.