The Great Stone Church - San Juan Capistrano, California
N 33° 30.137 W 117° 39.726
11S E 438501 N 3707168
Quick Description: Located on the grounds of the Mission San Juan Capistrano, the "Great Stone Church" was dubbed by architects as the "American Acropolis" in reference to its classical Greco-Roman style. Tragically 42 native worshipers were killed in the collapse.
Location: California, United States
Date Posted: 7/4/2008 4:57:28 PM
Waymark Code: WM4446
Views: 108
Long Description:The Great Stone Church was virtually destroyed in an earthquake in
1812, killing 42 Native American worshipers. Over the years the
decision was made to preserve the remnants 'as is' in memory of
these people. Eventually a new church, The Mission Basilica San
Juan Capistrano, was built in 1984 "in the spirit and likeness" of
the "Great Stone Church." Pope John Paul II conferred the rank of
Minor Basilica to this facility on February 14, 2000.
From Wikipedia - "The most important and pretentious building of
the whole Mission period..." was modeled after the Byzantine
cathedrals scattered throughout Europe and Western Asia.
Work was begun on "The Great Stone Church" (the only chapel
building in Alta California not constructed out of adobe) on
February 2, 1797. It was laid out in the shape of a cross,
measuring 180 feet (55 m) long by 40 feet (12 m) wide with 50-foot
(15 m) high walls, and included a 120-foot (37 m) tall campanile
(bell tower) located adjacent to the main entrance. Local legend
has it that the tower could be seen for ten miles (16 km) or more,
and that the bells could be heard from even farther away. The
sandstone building sat on a foundation seven feet thick.
Construction efforts required the participation of the entire
neophyte population. Stones were quarried from gullies and creek
beds up to six miles (10 km) 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 that was more erosion-resistant than the
actual stones. On the afternoon of November 22, 1800 tremors from
the 6.5-magnitude San Diego Earthquake cracked the walls of the
rising edifice, necessitating that repair work be performed.
Unfortunately, Señor Aguilár 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 7; a two-day long fiesta followed. The
sanctuary floors were paved with diamond-shaped tiles, 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 the morning of
December 8, 1812 (the "Feast Day of the Immaculate Conception of
the Blessed Virgin") a series of massive earthquakes shook Southern
California during the first Sunday service. The 7.0-magnitude
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 native worshippers who were attending mass and
two boys who had been ringing the bells in the tower 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 had damaged Mission buildings and ruined crops earlier in the
year.