The missions were built in the 18th century by the Spanish missionaries, who had come to the lands of California with the mission of spreading Christianity and colonising the Native Americans in to Spanish colonies. Their aim was to educate and civilise the people. They constructed massive buildings, 21 in total; 19 on the coastal areas and 3 inland.
Influencing factors
There are a number of factors which influenced the architectural thoughts behind the constructions of the building complexes. The priests were not architects by profession and that’s why drew and employed easy and basic style of buildings while constructing their own. All the 21 missions were different in shape and design with the core building style remaining the same. Many factors which influenced the process of designing and building the complexes, these were: lack of skilled labourer or professionals and unavailability of different types of construction materials needed for major beautification, lack of ideas etc. The priests wanted to build the complexes on the lines of their homeland, that is, Spanish architecture and did so from their remembrance skills.
Elements of architecture
The priests having limited architectural knowledge created the designs of these mission complexes on the lines of Spanish constructions. Each building constructed was heavily influenced by Roman techniques like the construction of arches, vaults and domes. Other than the Roman influence, they also constructed a bell tower on the lines of Spanish architectures. In these structures the church bell hanged outside on a tower and they were rung with a help of a rope tied to them.
The mission buildings had long corridors and the design of the inside chapel were similar to the other chapels of Europe. And the walls of the building were decorated with religious designs with a primitive pattern. They were drawn by natives with the pictorial help which they got from religious books.
Basic layout
Each missions of California had the basic structure layout. They had arched corridors, a big front lawn with planned garden and fountain, a bell tower in the compound near the church, even though the position of the tower were different in different churches, tall heavy structured walls and slopping rooftops. They followed proper paperwork and all legalised procedures before starting up with a project.
Use of infrastructure
While constructing the California missions, the water supply needed were fed via stone water tanks which were fitted with baked clay pipes and connected to the nearby rivers and springs. The stored water tanks were connected to motors which helped the water to be pumped and allowed them to come out in a force which in turned helped the grinding wheels to turn. Water was used for other construction purposes and helped in the working of other machinery. Water from the river and spring also helped in household and irrigational purposes.
Acres and acres of land were taken for building the church complex. The land of the state not only accommodated the church and its priests but also the natives and their families who came to live there and their livelihood.
Contact :
Contact Person: Maureen Sullivan
E-mail: [email protected]
Old Mission San Luis Rey de Francia
Address: 4050 Mission Avenue, Oceanside, CA 92057-6402
Tel/Fax: (760) 757-3651
Website: http://www.sanluisrey.org/