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.
Contrary to what might be expected, the famous Rose Window does not follow the same pattern as most other windows that bear the same generic description. In general, the conventional medieval rose window was an intricately-fashioned circle divided into wedges by a series of spoke-like devices known as mullions and tracery. An alternative nickname for this type of feature is "wheel window."
The rose window at the San Jose church is nothing like its medieval counterparts. From the exterior, it resembles an ornately-framed oval with a superimposed rectangle. In its time, roughly 1770, it was the most ornate and grandiose item in the United States. No one knows how it got its name. Seven feet in height, the window is situated only four and a half feet above ground level.
The San Antonio Missions National Historical Park encompasses three other Franciscan edifices. These are Mission San Francisco de la Espada (Mission Espada), Mission Nuestra Senora de la Purisima Concepcion de Acuna (Mission Concepcion), dedicated in 1755, and Mission San Juan de Capistrano, which was completed in 1756. The latter, Mission San Juan Capistrano, should not be mixed up with the mission in California, which is famous for the return of hoards of swallows each year during the month of March.
The fifth Spanish mission located in San Antonio, The Alamo, was the site of one of the defining battles in Texas history during the Texas War of Independence (otherwise known as the Texas Revolution). The war, lasting six months, was between the Mexican government and the colonists of Texas. That particular conflict ended with the formation of the Texan republic. Prior to the Mexican-American War that took place in 1848, Texas was formally entered into the union as the 28th state.
The fifth Franciscan mission, situated outside the National Historical Park, is The Alamo. Now a museum in the Alamo Plaza District of downtown San Antonio, the Alamo is no longer a Catholic church. The park itself houses over 180 different species of bird. Each mission takes at least two to four hours to fully appreciate. Park admission and guided tours are free of charge.
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.
Contrary to what might be expected, the famous Rose Window does not follow the same pattern as most other windows that bear the same generic description. In general, the conventional medieval rose window was an intricately-fashioned circle divided into wedges by a series of spoke-like devices known as mullions and tracery. An alternative nickname for this type of feature is "wheel window."
The rose window at the San Jose church is nothing like its medieval counterparts. From the exterior, it resembles an ornately-framed oval with a superimposed rectangle. In its time, roughly 1770, it was the most ornate and grandiose item in the United States. No one knows how it got its name. Seven feet in height, the window is situated only four and a half feet above ground level.
The San Antonio Missions National Historical Park encompasses three other Franciscan edifices. These are Mission San Francisco de la Espada (Mission Espada), Mission Nuestra Senora de la Purisima Concepcion de Acuna (Mission Concepcion), dedicated in 1755, and Mission San Juan de Capistrano, which was completed in 1756. The latter, Mission San Juan Capistrano, should not be mixed up with the mission in California, which is famous for the return of hoards of swallows each year during the month of March.
The fifth Spanish mission located in San Antonio, The Alamo, was the site of one of the defining battles in Texas history during the Texas War of Independence (otherwise known as the Texas Revolution). The war, lasting six months, was between the Mexican government and the colonists of Texas. That particular conflict ended with the formation of the Texan republic. Prior to the Mexican-American War that took place in 1848, Texas was formally entered into the union as the 28th state.
The fifth Franciscan mission, situated outside the National Historical Park, is The Alamo. Now a museum in the Alamo Plaza District of downtown San Antonio, the Alamo is no longer a Catholic church. The park itself houses over 180 different species of bird. Each mission takes at least two to four hours to fully appreciate. Park admission and guided tours are free of charge.
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