Wikipedia (
visit link) infmrs us about the Mission:
"The Mission San Gabriel Arcángel is a fully functioning Roman Catholic mission and a historic landmark in San Gabriel, California. The settlement was founded by Spaniards of the Franciscan order on "The Feast of the Birth of Mary," September 8, 1771, as the fourth of what would become 21 Spanish missions in California. San Gabriel Arcángel, named after the Archangel Gabriel and often referred to as the "Godmother of the Pueblo of Los Angeles", was designed by Father Antonio Cruzado, who hailed from Córdoba, Spain. Cruzado gave the building its strong Moorish architectural influence. The capped buttresses and the tall, narrow windows are unique among the missions of the California chain.
History
Mission San Gabriel was founded on September 8, 1771 by Father Junipero Serra. The planned site for the Mission was along the banks of the Río de los Temblores (the River of the Earthquakes—the Santa Ana River). The priests chose an alternate site on a fertile plain located directly alongside the Rio Hondo in the Whittier Narrows.[12] The site of the Misión Vieja (or "Old Mission") is located near the intersection of San Gabriel Boulevard and Lincoln Avenue in Montebello, California (known to the natives as Shevaanga). In 1776, a flash flood destroyed much of the crops and ruined the Mission complex, which was subsequently relocated five miles closer to the mountains in present-day San Gabriel (the native settlement of 'Iisanchanga). The Mission is the base from which the pueblo that became the city of Los Angeles was sent. On December 9, 1812 (the "Feast Day of the Immaculate Conception of the Blessed Virgin"), a series of massive earthquakes shook Southern California. The 1812 Wrightwood earthquake caused the three-bell campanario, located adjacent to the chapel's east façade, to collapse. A larger, six-bell structure was subsequently constructed at the far end of the capilla. While no pictorial record exists to document what the original structure looked like, architectural historian Rexford Newcomb deduced the design and published a depiction in his 1916 work The Franciscan Mission Architecture of Alta California.
Legend has it that the founding expedition was confronted by a large group of native Tongva peoples whose intention was to drive the strangers away. One of the padres laid a painting of "Our Lady of Sorrows" on the ground for all to see, whereupon the natives, designated by the settlers as the Gabrieliños, immediately made peace with the missionaries, because they were so moved by the painting's beauty. Today the 300-year-old work hangs in front of and slightly to the left of the old high altar and reredos in the Mission's sanctuary.
A large stone cross stands in the center of the campo santo (cemetery), first consecrated in 1778 and then again on January 29, 1939 by the Los Angeles Archbishop John Cantwell. It serves as the final resting place for some 6,000 "neophytes;" a small stone marker denotes the gravesite of José de Los Santos, the last American Indian to be buried on the grounds, at the age of 101 in February 1921. Also interred at the Mission are the bodies of numerous Franciscan fathers who died during their time of service, as well as the remains of Reverend Raymond Catalan, C.M.F., who undertook the restoration of the Mission's gardens. Entombed at the foot of the altar are the remains of eight Franciscan priests (listed in order of interment): Father Miguel Sánchez, Father Antonio Cruzado, Father Francisco Dumetz, Father Roman Ulibarri, Father Joaquin P. Nuez, Father Gerónimo Boscana, Father José Bernardo Sánchez, and Father Blas Ordaz. Buried among the padres is centenarian Eulalia Perez de Guillén Mariné, the "keeper of the keys" under Spanish rule; her grave is marked by a bench dedicated in her memory.
Mission San Gabriel Arcángel circa 1900. The trail in the foreground is part of the original El Camino Real.
Well over 25,000 baptisms were conducted at San Gabriel between 1771 and 1834, making it the most prolific in the mission chain. In its heyday it furnished food and supplies to settlements and other missions throughout California. A majority of the Mission structures fell into ruins after it was secularized in November 1834. The once-extensive vineyards were falling to decay, with fences broken down and animals roaming freely through it.
The Mission's chapel functioned as a parish church for the City of San Gabriel from 1862 until 1908, when the Claretian Missionary Fathers came to San Gabriel and began the job of rebuilding and restoring the Mission. On October 1, 1987 the Whittier Narrows Earthquake damaged the property. A significant portion of the original complex has since been restored."
and the Museum's website (
visit link) adds:
"Mission Museum and Hours/ Horario del Museo y Tienda Religiosa
Monday- Saturday/ Lunes- Viernes:
9:00 AM- 4:30 PM (we DO NOT close for lunch)
Sunday/ Domingo: 10:00 AM- 4:00 PM ( we DO NOT close for lunch)
For more information call the gift shop at 626-457-3048.
Museum and Gift Shop closed on/ Museo y Tienda Religiosa Cierra:
New Year's Day (1o de enero),
Easter Sunday (domingo de Pascua),
July 4, Thanksgiving Day (Dia de Gracia)
and Christmas Day (dia de Navidad), and open 9 a.m. to Noon on Dec. 24.
(el 24 estan abiertos de 9 AM-12 de la tarde)
ADMISSION FEE CHANGE EFFECTIVE AUG. 1, 2014
San Gabriel Mission Church, Museum, Gardens and Gift Shop are open for a self-guided tour
admission
ages 0 to 5 - free
6-17 - $3
18-61- $6
and seniors 62 and older - $5.
NO EXTRA fee for special events, regular admission fee still applies.
The self-guided tour includes brochure (in English or Espanol) with a map and historical information. It's best to start a self-guided tour no later than 3 p.m
Su visita autoguida incluye un foyeto con mapa del area y inforamcion historica. Es mejor comenzar su visita no mas tarde que las 3 p.m.
Please note/ Favor de tomar en cuenta:
The Mission Church is not available Saturdays during/
La Mision no esta disponible los sabados durante:
Baptism (bautizos),Wedding (bodas),
or Funeral Services (o servicios de funerales);
and during Sunday morning mass from 9:30 a.m. to about 10:45 a.m.
( y durante la misa de la mañana los domingos de 9:30 am hasta aproximadamente las 10:45 am)
Please Call Rectory Office for Mission Church weekend schedule (Favor de Llamar a la Rectoria para el horario de eventos en la Mision);"