''La Iglesia de Nuestra Señora la Reina de los Ángeles'' (

English English usually refers to: * English language * English people English may also refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * ''English'', an adjective for something of, from, or related to England ** English national ide ...

: "The Church of Our Lady Queen of the Angels") is a historic

Catholic The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with 1.3 billion baptized Catholics worldwide . It is among the world's oldest and largest international institutions, and has played a ...

church Church may refer to: Religion * Church (building), a building for Christian religious activities * Church (congregation), a local congregation of a Christian denomination * Church service, a formalized period of Christian communal worship * C ...

El Pueblo de los Ángeles Historical Monument El Pueblo de Los Ángeles Historical Monument, also known as Los Angeles Plaza Historic District and formerly known as El Pueblo de Los Ángeles State Historic Park, is a historic district taking in the oldest section of Los Angeles, known for man ...

in northern

downtown Los Angeles Downtown Los Angeles (DTLA) contains the central business district of Los Angeles. In addition, it contains a diverse residential area of some 85,000 people, and covers . A 2013 study found that the district is home to over 500,000 jobs. It is ...

California California is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States, located along the West Coast of the United States, Pacific Coast. With nearly 39.2million residents across a total area of approximately , it is the List of states and territori ...

. The church was founded by the

Spanish Spanish might refer to: * Items from or related to Spain: **Spaniards are a nation and ethnic group indigenous to Spain **Spanish language, spoken in Spain and many Latin American countries **Spanish cuisine Other places * Spanish, Ontario, Can ...

in the early 19th century when modern-day California was under

rule and known as

Alta California Alta California ('Upper California'), also known as ('New California') among other names, was a province of New Spain, formally established in 1804. Along with the Baja California peninsula, it had previously comprised the province of , but ...

in the

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History

La Iglesia de Nuestra Señora la Reina de los Ángeles ("The Church of Our Lady Queen of the Angels") was founded on August 18, 1814, by Franciscan Fray Luis Gil y Taboada. He placed the

cornerstone The cornerstone (or foundation stone or setting stone) is the first stone set in the construction of a masonry foundation. All other stones will be set in reference to this stone, thus determining the position of the entire structure. Over time ...

for the new church in the adobe ruins of the original "sub-station mission" here, the ''

Nuestra Señora Reina de los Ángeles Asistencia Nuestra Señora Reina de los Ángeles Asistencia was founded in early 1784 in the burgeoning ''Pueblo de Los Ángeles'' adjacent to the village of Yaanga as an asistencia or "sub-mission" to the nearby Mission San Gabriel Arcángel. The assis ...

'' (founded 1784), thirty years after it was established to serve the settlement founding ''

Los Angeles Pobladores Los pobladores del pueblo de los Ángeles (English: ''The townspeople of Los Angeles'') refers to the 44 original settlers and 4 soldiers from New Spain (Mexico) who founded the Pueblo de Nuestra Señora la Reina de los Ángeles in 1781, which is ...

'' (original settlers). The completed new structure was dedicated on December 8, 1822.Ruscin, p. 49. A replacement chapel, named ''La Iglesia de Nuestra Señora de los Ángeles'' – for

Mary, mother of Jesus Mary; arc, ܡܪܝܡ, translit=Mariam; ar, مريم, translit=Maryam; grc, Μαρία, translit=María; la, Maria; cop, Ⲙⲁⲣⲓⲁ, translit=Maria was a first-century Jews, Jewish woman of Nazareth, the wife of Saint Joseph, Jose ...

or "The Church of Our Lady of the Angels" – was rebuilt using materials of the original church in 1861. The title ''Reina'', meaning "Queen," was added later to the name.Ruscin, p. 50. For years, the little chapel, which collected the nicknames "''La Placita''" and "Plaza Church," served as the sole Roman Catholic church in Los Angeles.

20th century

The facility has operated under the auspices of the Claretian Missionary Fathers since 1908. The building was designated as one of the first three

Los Angeles Historic-Cultural Monuments Los Angeles Historic-Cultural Monuments are sites which have been designated by the Los Angeles, California, Cultural Heritage Commission as worthy of preservation based on architectural, historic and cultural criteria. History The Historic-Cult ...

in 1962. It has also been designated as a

California Historical Landmark A California Historical Landmark (CHL) is a building, structure, site, or place in California that has been determined to have statewide historical landmark significance. Criteria Historical significance is determined by meeting at least one of ...

21st century

The church is a part of the Archdiocese of Los Angeles and serves as a neighborhood parish church, as well as a cultural landmark. Since the 1960s it has been retrofitted against earthquakes. Masses are said in Spanish and English.

California Historical Landmark Marker

Marker NO. 144 at the site reads:californiahistoricallandmarks.com 144, Nuestra Señora Reina de los Angeles
/ref> *''NO. 144 NUESTRA SEÑORA LA REINA DE LOS ANGELES - La Iglesia de Nuestra Senora la Reina de Los Angeles-the Church of Our Lady the Queen of the Angels-was dedicated on December 8, 1822 during California's Mexican era. Originally known as La Iglesia de Nuestra Senora de Los Angeles, the church was the only Catholic church for the pueblo. Today it primarily serves the Hispanic population of Los Angeles.''

Gallery

Image:LaPlacitaChurchFromSpringStreet2.JPG, The Spring Street entrance of Nuestra Señora Reina de los Ángeles (Our Lady Queen of Angels/La Placita Church—the main church, not the chapel) located in Downtown Los Angeles on September 15, 2011. Image:La Placita Church, Los Angeles California.jpg, La Placita Church in the Old Plaza in Los Angeles, CA circa 1880. Image:LosAngeles-Plaza-1869.jpg, The "Old Plaza Church" facing the Plaza, 1869. The brick reservoir in the middle of the Plaza was the original terminus of the ''

Zanja Madre The ''Zanja Madre'' (, "Mother Trench") is the original aqueduct that brought water to the Pueblo de Los Angeles from the Río Porciúncula (Los Angeles River). The original open, earthen ditch, or ''zanja'' was completed by community laborers ...

''. File:MNSR de LA entryway 027.jpg, ''Nuestra Señora Reina de los Ángeles'' in early 2007. The structure bore the name ''Mission Nuestra Señora Reina de los Ángeles'' for many years. File:Façade Nuestra Señora Reina de los Angeles 2007.jpg, The

façade A façade () (also written facade) is generally the front part or exterior of a building. It is a Loanword, loan word from the French language, French (), which means 'frontage' or 'face'. In architecture, the façade of a building is often t ...

of ''Nuestra Señora Reina de los Ángeles'' in 2007. File:La Placita Parish 2007.jpg, The entrance of Nuestra Señora Reina de los Ángeles (La Placita Church)''Chapel'' located at 535 North Main Street in Downtown Los Angeles on July 20, 2007. File:Altar Our Lady Queen of Angels, Old Mission Church, Los Angeles, California (68396).jpg, Postcard showing interior circa 1940s File:Altar at Plazita Church..jpg, Altar in 2014. Current configuration. File:Left side altar at La Plazita Church .jpg, Left side altar. Our Lady of Guadalupe image.

Notes

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References

External links

Nuestra Señora Reina de Los Angeles — photo gallery
— ''webpage''

— ''City of Los Angeles'' {{DEFAULTSORT:Iglesia de Nuestra Senora Reina de los Angeles Roman Catholic churches in Los Angeles Pueblo de Los Ángeles Roman Catholic churches in California Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Los Angeles Spanish missions in California Buildings and structures in Downtown Los Angeles History of Los Angeles Mexican California The Californias Los Angeles Historic-Cultural Monuments California Historical Landmarks 1814 establishments in Alta California 1814 establishments in New Spain Religious organizations established in 1814 Roman Catholic churches completed in 1861 19th century in Los Angeles Claretian churches in the United States El Pueblo de Los Ángeles Historical Monument Spanish Colonial architecture in California 19th-century Roman Catholic church buildings in the United States