San Gabriel

I live in THE Valley – the San Fernando Valley. Just to the east of us is another valley, the San Gabriel Valley, home to Pasadena. Both Valleys are named for the original missions that the Spaniards established in the late 18th century.  Until this past weekend, I had never visited the town of San Gabriel or the famous mission, San Gabriel  Archangel.Pasadena Heritage together with the City of San Gabriel organized a wonderful walking tour of the Mission district. Of course I jumped on the opportunity.

The largest of the six bells, unfortunately they aren’t rung much anymore because there is a fear that they are too delicate. For a far off mission no one was going to construct the most durable of bells.This being a copper bell, I love seeing the different patinas. Especially the green that came from the bell itself.

Even though it was a Saturday, there was an event taking place in the actual church. This is one of the missions that is a very active church to this day. No longer run by the original Franciscan order, but very much a Catholic Church.The old bell tour fell over a century ago  and it wasn’t rebuilt on this side of the building. Fascinating to see the mishmash of stone and brick used to build this building, which was completed in 1801. The gardens are serene and lovely. Many of the grape vines date back to the founding. They have even harvested them and tried to make wine – not so good. Viticulture has come a long way.Through the portion of the garden that is also the cemetery are the these plaques commemorating the stations of the cross, made from Talavera tile from Mexico, these were installed in the early 20th century.The Virgin of Guadalupe was probably also installed at the same time. You can see how much love and adoration she gets from the local parishioners today. At the time the mission was built, I’m sure the Spanish had no interest in her, although they should have. She has more to do with the Catholic beliefs of the Mexicans than all the missions put together. Today she is patron saint of Mexico, even for those who are no longer Catholic.One of the workshops on the grounds. Notice has small and low the doorway is. We are all taller and bigger these days.The old Padres living quarters are now the museum. I found this old mirror intriguing. When the priests led the service they had their backs to the congregation, a mirror was needed so they could see what was going on behind them.An example of a Padres’ room, probably much more ornate now than it was back then. This is probably a hodgepodge of items found in the mission.You know me and ceramics, I love them. Dishes that were used either in the mission or by local people as well. I also love the old nails, an every day item we take for granted. How it has evolved through the years.The mission bells that were installed in the early 1900s’ along the Camino Real. It is very fitting that the San Gabriel Woman’s club sponsored this one, since it was a woman Mrs. A.S.C. Forbes who ran a foundry and is the originator of these bells.We walked around the corner to one of the three remaining Adobe houses in San Gabriel. This one is owned by the Church (the other two are privately owned) and is rarely open to the public.The plaque states that this is the Lopez Adobe, built at the same time the Mission was constructed. Adobe bricks are used throughout the arid south, as well as south America. These are unfired bricks, which means the upkeep is difficult. We have wonderful clay here in California, what we didn’t have is many trees, so firing bricks would have been a much more expensive proposition. The exterior is stuccoed and both the exterior  and the roof must constantly be maintained – rain is a real enemy to adobe.Originally the structure was just two large rooms, with massive walls. The thicker the wall – the sturdier it is and less chance of it crumbling. It always then creates a real barrier against the heat and the cold. Of course a fire place is a must, it does get cold here in the winter. The use of decorative tiles indicates some wealth.By the mid 19th century a brick addition was added, an indoor kitchen, more rooms and an extensive use of Mexican tile.I just love the red tile floor, the decorative tiles on the riser and old linoleum as well.

Our tour continues, in an other post.