The San Fernando de Bexar cathedral in downtown San Antonio TX is the seat of the Roman Catholic Archbishop of San Antonio. The oldest cathedral in Texas, the cathedral was built between 1738 and 1746.
In December 1835, a small group of Texian revolutionaries stormed the run-down Mission San Antonio de Valero, now known as the Alamo, kicked out the Mexican soldiers who had been holding it, and took full control of the village of San Antonio de Bexar.
But the Mexican Army was not going to give up Texas without a fight, so General Santa Anna, the dictator of the Mexican Republic, personally assembled an army and marched into Texas. He beat back the Texian defenders to their Alamo stronghold, where Col. Travis, Davy Crockett, and others held on, waiting for reinforcements that never came.
Meanwhile Santa Anna had established his military headquarters near the parish church of San Fernando, the tallest structure in the city. On 23 February 1836 he ordered the blood red "flag of no quarter" to be flown from the flagpole atop the church to signal to the Texians that surrenders would be honored, but if the garrison did not surrender, all would be slaughtered. The next day, Col. William B. Travis sent out his famous letter from from the Alamo: (
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"Commandancy of the The Alamo
Bejar, Feby. 24th. 1836
To the People of Texas & All Americans in the World-
Fellow Citizens & compatriots-
I am besieged, by a thousand or more of the Mexicans under Santa Anna - I have sustained a continual Bombardment & cannonade for 24 hours & have not lost a man - The enemy has demanded a surrender at discretion, otherwise, the garrison are to be put to the sword, if the fort is taken - I have answered the demand with a cannon shot, & our flag still waves proudly from the walls - I shall never surrender or retreat. Then, I call on you in the name of Liberty, of patriotism & everything dear to the American character, to come to our aid, with all dispatch - The enemy is receiving reinforcements daily & will no doubt increase to three or four thousand in four or five days. If this call is neglected, I am determined to sustain myself as long as possible & die like a soldier who never forgets what is due to his own honor & that of his country - Victory or Death.
William Barret Travis.
Lt. Col.comdt.
P. S. The Lord is on our side - When the enemy appeared in sight we had not three bushels of corn - We have since found in deserted houses 80 or 90 bushels and got into the walls 20 or 30 head of Beeves.
Travis"
On 6 March 1836, after a long siege and protracted fighting, the Mexican Army finally overran the Alamo and killed almost all those inside. Only women, children, and a few black slaves (all noncombatants) were spared.
Jim Bowie, Davy Crockett, and Col. William B. Travis were the most famous of all the Texas heroes who died at the Alamo that day.
For more on the battle of the Alamo, see here: (
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After the battle, the bodies of the defenders were denied the rites of Christian burial by General Santa Anna. He ordered the bodies dragged into funeral pyres and set alight. The burned bones lay exposed for months. After the end of the Texas Revolution, Lt. Col. Juan Seguin was ordered back to San Antonio to gather what remains he could find of the Alamo defenders and give them a proper burial.
In 1936, several mixed bones, hair, and fragments of burned 1830s-era military uniforms were discovered during some renovations to the area around and under the altar at the Cathedral. The Archbishop knew he had disturbed the remains of the Alamo defenders. He ordered the remains tastefully and reverently placed on display while a suitable ossuary monument was built.
In 1938 the bones were reinterred in a small marble ossuary which sits in a place of honor near the main entrance to the Cathedral.
Today visitors from around the world come to the Cathedral de San Fernando de Bexar to pay their respects to the bones of the valiant defenders of the Alamo.
Some more reading on the final resting place of the bones of the Alamo defenders can be found here: (
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An article arguing that the bones may NOT be those of Crockett Travis and Bowie is here: (
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