The new seven-domed parish church of Mission...
The new seven-domed parish church of Mission San Juan Capistrano, visible for miles around as it towers above trees and lesser buildings, probably will be completed in late September--more than a year behind schedule, but with good reason.
“It’s because this structure is one of a kind,” said church spokesman Richard F. Landy. “Almost everything had to be ordered specially from faraway places. There were things we just couldn’t get from the usual construction sources.”
Things such as stonework from Utah, 10 crystal chandeliers from Belgium and eight bronze bells from Holland.
The massive pile is to be “an architectural reproduction” of the Old Mission Church that was crumbled by an earthquake more than 170 years ago. Since then the ruins and the gardens and other old buildings surrounding them have served as a sort of shrine for tourists and the faithful, and have become known worldwide as a nesting place for the swallows that return each spring.
Pigeons already make use of the new bell tower, which reaches 103 feet into the air with a nine-foot lantern and cross on top.
The swallows haven’t found it yet.
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