Saint Teresa of Avila Church is a

Roman Catholic church 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 ...

in Bodega, California. The white, wooden church with a steeple sits on a hilltop overlooking Bodega Highway.

History

The church was built by shipbuilders in 1860 on land donated by

Jasper O’Farrell Jasper O'Farrell (1817–1875) was an Irish-American politician who served as the first surveyor for San Francisco, California, San Francisco. He designed the "grand promenade" that became today's Market Street (San Francisco, California), Market ...

. It was named after

St. Teresa of Avila ST, St, or St. may refer to: Arts and entertainment * Stanza, in poetry * Suicidal Tendencies, an American heavy metal/hardcore punk band * Star Trek, a science-fiction media franchise * Summa Theologica, a compendium of Catholic philosophy an ...

by local Spanish and Portuguese immigrants. Archbishop Alemany dedicated the church on June 2, 1861. Originally it was part of the Archdiocese of San Francisco. Today the parish belongs to the

Diocese of Santa Rosa in California The Roman Catholic Diocese of Santa Rosa in California ( la, Diœcesis Sanctae Rosae in California) is a diocese, or ecclesiastical territory, of the Roman Catholic Church in the northern California region of the United States, named in honor of ...

. 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 ...

, the church is still in use today and is the oldest church in continuous use in Sonoma County. In 1872, the original building was expanded by cutting the church in half, pulling the two ends of the small church away from each other, and then building new ceiling, walls, and stained glass windows to close the gap. In 1886, an 850-pound cast iron bell was added to the belfry, but it was removed when it was discovered that it was too heavy for the structure. Also notable, the church interior has no center aisle, but rather two side aisles.

Ansel Adams Ansel Easton Adams (February 20, 1902 – April 22, 1984) was an American landscape photographer and environmentalist known for his black-and-white images of the American West. He helped found Group f/64, an association of photographers advoca ...

made the church the subject of a black and white photograph in 1953. The church is located directly next to the Bodega schoolhouse, which was the setting for the schoolhouse scene in

Alfred Hitchcock Sir Alfred Joseph Hitchcock (13 August 1899 – 29 April 1980) was an English filmmaker. He is widely regarded as one of the most influential figures in the history of cinema. In a career spanning six decades, he directed over 50 featur ...

's 1963 film, '' The Birds''. The church was also seen in the film and Hitchcock attended services in the church.

References

External links

* {{Authority control Churches in Sonoma County, California California Historical Landmarks Roman Catholic churches in California Roman Catholic Diocese of Santa Rosa History of Sonoma County, California Portuguese-American culture in California Spanish-American culture in California