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The San Gabriel Mission: Whose Architecture Is It?

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The San Gabriel Mission: Whose Architecture Is It? The San Gabriel Mission: Whose Architecture Is It? By Gary Frueholz, Dilbeck Real Estate The Moors had a profound influence on the San Gabriel Mission. And I am not speaking about Alhambra High School and its mascot. What I am alluding to is the striking and yet unusual architecture of the San Gabriel Mission. Many California Missions like San Fernando and San Juan Capistrano have a friendly and welcoming architecture with arcades and courtyards leading into them. Some missions like Ventura and Santa Barbara have impressive church entrances that generally catch your attention. But the San Gabriel Mission has a different appearance as you approach it. This California mission has almost a fortress like look to it with tall walls and capped buttresses against the walls to provide additional strength to the structure. No other California mission has this appearance. Windows are present, but they are long, narrow, and elevated to minimize potential security risks which larger windows could pose. These elements are indicative of Moorish architecture seen in southern Spain. Two Spanish cities which demonstrate this Moorish architecture are Cordoba and Granada, Spain, with the Alhambra Palace. But where is the linkage between southern Spain and the San Gabriel Mission? Some experts on California missions say the connection results from the man in charge of building the San Gabriel Mission, Father Antonio Cruzado. Father Cruzado was born and raised in Cordoba, Spain. Cruzado lived in this cross cultural city of Spanish and Moorish roots until his early adult years. And ultimately, Father Cruzado was placed in charge of the design and construction of the original Mission San Gabriel Arcangel which was completed in 1805. The Roman Catholic cathedral in the Spanish city of Cordoba is considered one of the world's most accomplished examples of Moorish architecture. And the reason for this is that the cathedral was originally built as a mosque over a thousand years ago in the 784 A.D. The structure has extensive tile work, magnificent interior columns of jasper, onyx, marble, and granite, and impressively high ceilings. And from its exterior the complex has a powerful and vertical appearance of a fortress. King Ferdinand III of Spain conquered Cordoba, Spain, in 1236. The mosque was converted into a Catholic church which became the center of the city. Some architectural elements were modified, but the basic Moorish feel of the structure remained. And at the Cathedral of Cordoba with its Moorish heritage, Antonio Cruzado would receive his early religious training and be ultimately ordained into the priesthood. It would appear that Father Cruzado's image of what a church should look like was profoundly influenced by his experiences growing up in Cordoba, Spain. Chuck Lyons is the Director of Public Relations at the San Gabriel Mission and says the most distinctive feature of the mission are the capped buttresses. A buttress is a structure that projects from a wall to support or reinforce the wall and minimizes lateral (sideways) movement. Once you realize what a buttress is, they become very obvious with the San Gabriel Mission. The caps on top are a decorative element indicative of Moorish architecture. "Bell towers are generally the extent of a mission's height," said Lyons. "But the capped buttresses are the high point here." The walls of the San Gabriel Mission are original and more than four feet thick. The sections with the buttresses are actually seven feet thick. Over the years the mission has periodically experienced earthquake damage. The bell tower has been rebuilt a number of times with the most recent work resulting from the 1987 Whittier Narrows quake. Within the San Gabriel Mission complex are the church, winery, gardens, cemetery, patio, and an impressive museum. "Our museum has the most artifacts of any (California) mission," noted Chuck Lyons. Originally the mission was founded by Father Junipero Serra in 1771 at a location near the Santa Ana River in Montebello. Flooding from the river, also known as the Rio Hondo River, led to the mission being relocated in San Gabriel within a few years. Farming was an important activity of the early mission. Tongva and Kizh Indian tribes worked with the mission on agricultural and during the first three decades of the mission over 25,000 baptism were conducted. By 1830's the mission's agricultural success caught the attention of various Mexican governors and an effort to secularize the commercial activities of the San Gabriel mission was initiated. Results were mediocre and the mission fell into a state of disrepair. The San Gabriel Mission rebounded from the secularization of the mid- 1800's through the help of a community of Roman Catholic priests known as the Claretians. The efforts of the Claretians helped position the mission to enjoy a rebirth during this past century and preserve a valuable part of California history. So the next time you visit the San Gabriel Mission, do it with an eye on the architecture. And consider how the mission's architecture reflects the wide array of cultural heritages that have been coming together here in California for centuries. Gary Frueholz is a realtor with Dilbeck Real Estate, a past member of the Alhambra Planning Commission, a certified Senior Real Estate Specialist, and can be reached at 626-318-9436. See his stories at www.garysstories.com. .
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