Travel Blog

 

The Franciscan Missions Of Texas Including The San Antonio Missions Tour

By Marci Glover


The first Mass in the State of Texas was celebrated by the Franciscan monk, Antonio de San Buenaventura. San Antonio is credited with making a huge contribution to the founding of the City of San Antonio and for establishing the five institutions of San Antonio Missions tour and the Alamo.

The largest of the missions, regarded as the "Queen of the Missions, " is San Jose y San Miguel de Aguayo, now known more informally as Mission San Jose. Work began on its construction in 1720 and the mission was completed in 1782. In 1874, both the dome and the roof collapsed. The year 1928 saw the collapse of the church tower. The church itself is constructed of brightly colored stucco and Texas limestone.

Spectators on the tour should watch out for features such as intricate carvings, quatrefoil patterns, flying buttresses and the famous Rose Window. The choir loft is formed from a total of 25 risers, all of which were carved by hand from the same log. The structure contains no nails or pegs.

One of the most captivating features of Mission San Jose is the well-known Rose Window. In Europe, the term "rose window" was generically applied to a particular style of highly ornate, round window divided into wedges by a series of mullions. The window at the mission is shaped like a quatrefoil with a superimposed rectangle.

Although completely different from the traditional rose windows of Europe, this particular specimen was no less grandiose. It has its own folklore, although nobody can say for sure how it acquired its name. The structure is close to the ground at only 4.5 feet and stands a full seven feet tall.

The other three churches situated inside the San Antonio Missions National Historical Park are Mission Concepcion, dedicated in 1755; Mission San Juan de Capistrano, completed in 1756 and not to be confused with the mission of the same name in southern California (to which the swallows flock each year) and Mission Espada (Mission San Francisco de la Espada). The fifth, and most famous, of the five Spanish frontier missions is the Alamo.

The Alamo is best known for being the site of one of the defining battles in Texas History, the War of Independence, also known as the Texas Revolution. Fought between the government of the sovereign nation of Mexico and the Texan colonists, the conflict was resolved with the founding of the Republic of Texas. In the midst of a later conflict, the Mexican-American War, Texas was formally entered into the United States in 1845 as the 28th state.

A church no longer, The Alamo remains a museum in the downtown area. Each mission on the tour takes between two and four hours to fully appreciate. The national park is home to nearly 200 different bird species. Park admission is free, as are the entertaining and informative guided tours.




About the Author:



Comments :

0 comments to “The Franciscan Missions Of Texas Including The San Antonio Missions Tour”

Post a Comment

Blog Archive