Mission San Fernando Rey de Espana

Mission San Fernando Rey de Espana is a Spanish mission in Mission Hills, California.  It was founded on September 8, 1797 by Father Fermin Lasuen.  He was a native of Vitoria, Spain and served as Presidente of the California Missions for eighteen years.  It is the seventeenth of twenty-one missions established in California.  It is named for Saint Ferdinand, King of Spain in 13th century.

The Old Mission Church is the fourth church to be built here and is an exact replica of the one built between 1804 and 1806.  The walls are seven feet thick at the base and taper to five feet at the top.  Pope John Paull II visited the church in September of 1987.

The elaborate altar, gold-leafed reredos and pulpit are carved from walnut and date to 1687. They were originally installed in the chapel of St. Philip Neri at Ezcaray, Spain.  They were then removed and reassembled in part at San Fernando.  The altar depicts its patron saint being welcomed into heaven by the Holy Trinity. Father Junipero Serra stands on his left and the figure of St. Mary Magdalene stands on his right.  The only piece that did not come from the original church is the statue of St. Ferdinand, which was added to reflect the history of the California missions.  The statue was carved for the mission when it was built in 1797, but had to be restored after an earthquake in 1971.

The East Garden features a flower shaped fountain that was copied from one in Cordova (Cordoba), Spain.  The garden also contains an assortment of rare trees, cacti and seasonal flowers.

Moorish-style arches in the Convento.  The adobe walls are four feet wide and the windows stills have their original iron grilles.

Mission San Gabriel Archangel

Mission San Gabriel Archangel was founded on September 8, 1771.  It is the fourth of twenty-one missions founded in California. 

The mission was founded two years after the discovery of the San Gabriel Valley.  The founding missionaries came from San Diego to determine the exact site for the mission.  They were met by a group of Tongva Indians, who seemed determined to drive them away.  One of the priests brought out the three hundred year old painting of "Our Lady of Sorrows" and spread it on the ground for the Indians to see.  The Indians were so impressed with the beauty of the painting that they offered signs of friendship.

Father Antonio Cruzado was the church building designer.  He was born and raised in Cordova (Cordoba), Spain.  The design may have been based on the Cathedral of Cordova in Spain, which was once a Moorish mosque.

The buttressed walls, vaulted roof and fortress-like appearance of the church was influenced by Moorish architecture.

The walls of the building are original and are more than four feet thick.  The sections throughout the buttresses are up to seven feet thick.

An earthquake in 1804 damaged the original vaulted roof and ceiling.  The roof was replaced by a flat roof made of brick and mortar.  That roof was damaged in the 1812 earthquake.  The current roof is made of cedar shingles installed in 1993.

The church was built between 1791-1805 using cut stone, brick and mortar which is unusual.  The other missions are built from adobe.  It is the oldest structure of its kind south of Monterey, California.

The ruins of the original bell tower are to the right in the above photo.

In the 1790's, the main altar was made in Mexico City and brought to the church.  The retablo is Churrigueresque-style with wooden polychrome statues that were hand-carved in Spain.  On the left side is San Francisco de Asis.  San Joaquin is below him.  On the right side is San Antonio de Padua.  Santo Domingo is below him.  Archangel Gabriel is in the center.  The Purissima Concepcion is over the Tabernacle.  Buried beneath the floor of the Sanctuary, in front of the altar, are eight Franciscan friars.

The altar and the crucifix were damaged during the 1812 earthquake.  The statues fell and were broken into pieces.  Repairs were completed in 1813.  They were also restored again in 1993.

 The mission is one of the best preserved, with many of its original features still intact, including the baptistry domed ceiling, floor and walls.

The Camp Santo Cemetery was first consecrated in 1778.  It is the oldest cemetery in Los Angeles County.  The foundations are original, but the surrounding walls were rebuilt in 1940.

The Peace Garden includes a hand-made tile picture of Our Lady of Guadalupe.