By Julia
February,
2004
By Julia
February,
2004
The San Jose Mission was named after St.
Joseph, Jesus' father, husband of Mary. The location of the San Jose
Mission is 15 miles North East of San Jose on the east side of San
Francisco at the base of a mountain. Built in June 11, 1797, the
mission was founded by Fermin Lasuen Franciscan missionary and
successor to Junipero Serra.
The mission San Jose is 126 feet long, 30 feet wide and 24 feet high. The walls are 4 to 5 feet thick and there are 4 original bells. Augstin Davila an artist painted the inside of the church. They had balconies and wooden furnishings with gold leaf trim.
The mission was dedicated first in 1797. That is a long time ago, before the 1800's. In 1819, they built a dam across Mission Creek. The dam was used to create a flour mill. This must have helped make food. In 1846, the mission lands were sold and the mission became a trading post for gold miners. After the church got the mission back it got destroyed by an earthquake.
The original mission is not there anymore. The mission was rebuilt in 1985 and is used as a museum today. They rebuilt the mission using the old fashioned tools and materials. I have never been there but hope to go.
What I found interesting was that they had 12,000 cattle, 13,000 horses and 12,000 sheep. I had a great time learning about the San Jose Mission.