Nuestra Señora Reina de los Ángeles Asistencia was founded in early 1784 in the burgeoning ''
Pueblo de Los Ángeles
El Pueblo de Nuestra Señora la Reina de los Ángeles (English language, English: ''The town of Our Lady the Queen of the Angels''), shortened to Pueblo de los Ángeles, was the Spanish civilian ''Municipality, pueblo'' settled in 1781, which ...
'' adjacent to the village of
Yaanga
Yaanga was a large Tongva (or Kizh) village originally located near what is now downtown Los Angeles, just west of the Los Angeles River and beneath U.S. Route 101. People from the village were recorded as ''Yabit'' in missionary records alth ...
as an
asistencia or "sub-mission" to the nearby
Mission San Gabriel Arcángel
Mission San Gabriel Arcángel ( es, Misión de San Gabriel Arcángel) is a Californian mission and historic landmark in San Gabriel, California. It was founded by Spaniards of the Franciscan order on "The Feast of the Birth of Mary," Septemb ...
.
The assistant mission fell into disuse over time and a Catholic chapel, ''
La Iglesia de Nuestra Señora Reina de los Ángeles'', was constructed in its place a mere thirty years later.
History
''Asistencia de la Misión San Gabriel, Arcángel''
In the first months of 1784, priests from
San Gabriel established an assistant mission in the neighboring ''Pueblo de los Ángeles'' along the banks of ''
El Río de Nuestra Señora la Reina de los Ángeles de Porciúncula'', in an area with a high concentration of potential converts. At a half-a-day's ride to the east, the mother mission was too distant to serve the area effectively. Father Presidente
Junípero Serra
Junípero Serra y Ferrer (; ; ca, Juníper Serra i Ferrer; November 24, 1713August 28, 1784) was a Spanish Roman Catholic priest and missionary of the Franciscan Order. He is credited with establishing the Franciscan Missions in the Sier ...
had the opportunity to visit the ''asistencia'' on March 18, 1784, just five months before his death. Perhaps more important than its duty to provide religious instruction to the local natives was the settlement's role in growing crops and grazing livestock to feed the inhabitants of Mission San Gabriel, whose padres divided their time between that outpost and the new site. The abundant water supply allowed for the planting of citrus orchards and raising of cattle in abundant numbers.
In time, however, the priests abandoned the site as the pueblo grew in population and the native ''poblanos'' moved away (few of the ''nuevos cristianos'' were welcomed in the pueblo). Relatively little of the site's physical record remains today.
''La Iglesia de Nuestra Señora Reina de los Ángeles''
On August 18, 1814 Fray Luis Gíl y Taboada placed the cornerstone of a new church amidst the ruins of the former ''asistencia'' to serve the local ''pobladores'' (settlers); the completed structure was dedicated on December 8, 1822.
The ''padres'' of San Gabriel donated 7 barrels of
brandy to help establish the new chapel.
[Krell, p. 125.] A replacement chapel, named for
Mary, Mother of Jesus (''La Iglesia de Nuestra Señora de los Ángeles'', or "The Church of Our Lady of the Angels") was rebuilt utilizing materials of the original church in 1861; ''Reina'', meaning "Queen," was added later.
[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. The Plaza area today is popularly known as
Olvera Street.
Notes
References
*
*
*
*
*
*
See also
*
USNS ''Mission Los Angeles'' (AO-117) — a
''Mission Buenaventura''-class fleet oiler
A replenishment oiler or replenishment tanker is a naval auxiliary ship with fuel tanks and dry cargo holds which can supply both fuel and dry stores during underway replenishment (UNREP) at sea. Many countries have used replenishment oilers.
The ...
built during
World War II
World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the World War II by country, vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great power ...
.
*
List of Spanish missions in California
Franciscan priests established 21 missions between 1769 and 1833 in Alta California, accompanied by military outposts. Their goal was to spread Christianity among the local Native Americans, as well as to affirm Spanish, and later Mexican, c ...
{{DEFAULTSORT:Nuestra Senora Reina De Los Angeles Asistencia
Los Angeles Asistencia
Roman Catholic churches in Los Angeles
1784 in Alta California
Buildings and structures in Downtown Los Angeles
History of Los Angeles
1784 establishments in Alta California
Landmarks in Los Angeles