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 del Río de Porciúncula, shortened to the Pueblo de los Ángeles, was the Spanish colonial pueblos and villas in North America, Spanish civilian ''pueblo'' settled in 1781, which became the ...

'' 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 in California, U.S. Route 101. People from the village were recorded as ''Yabit ...

as an asistencia or "sub-mission" to the nearby

Mission San Gabriel Arcángel Mission San Gabriel Arcángel () is a Californian mission and historic landmark in San Gabriel, California. It was founded by the Spanish Empire on the Nativity of Mary September 8, 1771, as the fourth of what would become twenty-one Spanish mi ...

. 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 Saint Junípero Serra Ferrer (; ; November 24, 1713August 28, 1784), popularly known simply as Junipero Serra, was a Spanish Roman Catholic, Catholic priest and missionary of the Franciscan Order. He is credited with establishing the Francis ...

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 Brandy is a liquor produced by distilling wine. Brandy generally contains 35–60% alcohol by volume (70–120 US proof) and is typically consumed as an after-dinner digestif. Some brandies are aged in wooden casks. Others are coloured ...

to help establish the new chapel.Krell, p. 125. A replacement chapel, named for

Mary, Mother of Jesus Mary was a first-century Jewish woman of Nazareth, the wife of Saint Joseph, Joseph and the mother of Jesus. She is an important figure of Christianity, venerated under titles of Mary, mother of Jesus, various titles such as Perpetual virginity ...

(''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 Olvera Street, commonly known by its Spanish language, Spanish name Calle Olvera, is a historic pedestrian street in El Pueblo de Los Ángeles Historical Monument, El Pueblo de Los Ángeles, the historic center of Los Angeles. The street is loc ...

Notes

References

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History

''Asistencia de la Misión San Gabriel, Arcángel''

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

Notes

References

See also