San Gabriel Mission Still Intact but Needs Repair

After Mission San Gabriel was rebuilt after an 1812 earthquake that toppled its bell tower and caused its high-arched roof to collapse, a portrait of the reconstructed building referred to it as “La mision de los temblores,” the mission of earthquakes.

In the years since, the mission has lived up to that name, withstanding four other major temblors. However, structural damage suffered during Thursday’s quake has caused the 182-year-old mission building to be closed indefinitely while repairs are made, the parish pastor said Friday.

Building inspectors from the Archdiocese of Los Angeles have yet to inspect the damaged mission, which has large cracks running the length of its south wall. However, Father Arnold Gonzalez said he expects that every effort will be made to repair what is believed to be the oldest brick building in Los Angeles County.

Contributions Offered

Parishioners have offered the mission contributions of money and services to augment the church’s renovation fund. Gonzalez, who does not believe this will be enough to repair the damage, said he will also seek assistance from local governments and businesses.

The brick-and-mortar mission and a century-old adobe building now used as a museum were the only structures on the grounds to incur major damage in the quake, Gonzalez said. The museum, originally built as a rectory, will also be closed indefinitely. While the original mission is being repaired, services will be held at the mission’s new church, built in 1958.

As chunks of fallen mortar crunched under his sandals, Gonzalez led visitors on a tour of the old mission Friday, noting with pride that this is only the second time the mission has been closed for earthquake repairs.

Reconstructed after the 1812 earthquake with a more modest bell tower and a flat, wood-reinforced roof, the mission withstood earthquakes in 1858, 1933 and 1971. “Engineers have marveled how it has stood up with these tremendous jolts of the Earth itself, while more recent buildings have come down,” Gonzalez said.

“The missionaries who built it, they had a vision of the future. They didn’t know anything about building codes. But they knew about earthquakes.”

While the building itself survived its fifth earthquake essentially intact, one of its most prized contents did not fare as well. During the earthquake, a 200-year-old statue of Christ on the cross toppled off a baptismal font and smashed on the floor.

The statue is now missing parts of its left arm and left leg. The pieces are being kept until the figure on the crucifix can be repaired.

“This building and the crucifix have suffered, just as Christ himself suffered,” Gonzalez said. “But just as Christ rose, the crucifix will be patched together and returned to its place above the altar.”