San Gabriel Mission Museum

To preview other Public Gardens in the West, go here

The San Gabriel Mission church is now  a parish church with services held regularly. It is open to visitors during the day with access through the gift shop. There is a small entry fee.

The Mission San Gabriel Archangel was founded in 1771 as the second Mission in California after San Diego. The current church was dedicated in 1805.

The wealth of the Franciscans in California

In 1834 the assets of all the California missions were expropriated by Mexico. This farm cart and wine press are true to the implements used during the years when the San Gabriel Mission was active.  At the time Mexico took over the Missions, the San Gabriel Mission had 4 vineyards, 9 orchards, over 12,000 head of cattle, plus much more. All was forfeited to the Mexican government which sold off or awarded almost all of the Missions’ assets to their favorites. The Franciscan monks who had founded the Missions were sent away and many missions fell into ruin.

A priest from La Placita church in downtown L.A., however, made an attempt to maintain the San Gabriel Mission church.  In time, the San Gabriel church building was restored to the Catholic Church and it was brought back to close to its original condition.

This portrait of St. Luke in the church baptistry was probably painted by a local Tongva artist.  Much of the church art throughout the Americas was painted by  native Americans.

One of the many courtyards surrounding the Mission is dedicated primarily to the native Tongva people including a re-creation of a Tongva house.

Obviously this photo of a Native American, below, is not of a Tongva girl (or boy?) who lived or worked at the San Gabriel Mission.

Photography was not invented until long after the Missions had been disbanded, but it is an example of the extensive photo collection on display at the Mission museum.

To see the gardens of the San Gabriel Mission, go here.