Mission San Gabriel Arcángel
In 1771, Franciscans under the leadership of Father Junipero Serra founded the Mission San Gabriel Arcángel, the 4th of the 21 California Missions, known as the “Pride of the California Missions.” In 1776, a flash flood destroyed much of the crops and ruined the original Mission complex. It was subsequently relocated five miles closer to the mountains in present-day San Gabriel. Father Antonio Cruzado designed the new sanctuary based on the cathedral of Cordova where he was born. Cruzado and his associates finished construction of the church in 1805. The Mission cemetery is the oldest in Los Angeles County. Fire destroyed the roof of the sanctuary on July 11, 2020. An invitation-only Mass was celebrated in September 2022 as a mark of restoration progress. The building is a California State Landmark and listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
San Gabriel, Los Angeles County
Photographer: Andrew Schmidt