The Missions! Most Precious Gems in Treasure Chest!

No, this time I am writing about the historic buildings, and not the city's Texas League team (see my 7 April post for the baseball Missions).

Many folks in addition to me believe that San Antonio has numerous sites and events worthy of attention -- a whole treasure chest full of jewels. And yet only two or three receive much billing nationally. The Alamo, the Riverwalk, Fiesta San Antonio, the NBA Spurs. These are gems of which ANY city would be proud. But, folks, let's take a look at some of the other jewels in this chest. And let's begin with those which are in my opinion the most precious: the old Spanish missions.

Actually, The Alamo could be included right here, because it was founded as a mission by the name of Misión San Antonio de Valero. Indeed, its founding was the start of what is now the eighth largest city of these United States. (See my post on 5 May, about S.A.'s birthday.) But once it had been closed as a mission and the remaining Coahuiltecans became a part of the general Bexar (S.A.) community it was taken over by the Spanish army to serve as a fortress against the raids of the nomadic Apaches and Comanches. And that's how it's remembered today, as a fort and the shrine of Texas liberty.

So let's turn to the other four old Franciscan missions. Together these four form S.A. Missions National Historical Park. This park is unique in its arrangement, because while the federal government runs the general grounds and facilities, the Catholic Church continues to use the church buildings as active parishes, and cares for those buildings itself.

Misión San José y San Miguel de Aguayo is the best-known, since it's on Roosevelt, a major thoro'fare of S.A.'s south side. Also, San José was the second mission to be founded here, the only one that wasn't moved here from elsewhere, and was founded by "The Apostle of Texas" Fray Antonio Margil ("fray" = friar in Spanish), a most remarkable Spanish Franciscan missionary. Mission San José was the most successful in its mission of converting the nomadic Coahuiltecans into believers in Christ and civilized citizens of the Spanish Empire. Finally, it's the best restored to its original appearance. Hence, it's called the "Queen of the Missions".

Closer in to downtown is Misión Concepción (in full, Misión Purísima Concepción de Acuña). The church building and adjoining rooms of the friars' convent are all that's left of the compound here. But the church has not had to be significantly restored, making it the oldest unrestored church building in the USA. The acoustics of the domed sanctuary have been favorably compared with the Mormon Tabernacle in Salt Lake City.

A few miles south of San José and on the east bank of the river is Misión San Juan Capistrano. No, not the one of the swallows song - that one is in California. A full-sized church building was never completed here, but the chapel serves today for Mass for the small rural parish - many of whom are descendants of the first Coahuiltecan converts to worship here. All this is also true for the fifth and final mission.

Furthest away from the developed city area is Misión San Francisco de la Espada, or Espada for short. This would probably be my favorite of the five missions if it were more accessible. Its chapel features an intriguing Moorish-arched front door, above which is a three-bell belfry (Capistrano sports a similar belfry). "Espada" is Spanish for sword, and no one yet knows definitively from whence came this name-suffix for a mission named after a very peaceful saint, and nowadays still located in a peaceful, rural setting. Also, note that this mission, like Concepción and Capistrano, was moved here from East Texas. When it was originally founded (with a different name-suffix), San Francisco became the first and thus the oldest of the Spanish missions in what Spain considered to be the Province of Tejas. Missions near El Paso are older, but Spain (and later Mexico) considered Tejas or Texas to extend no further west and south than the Nueces River, between San Antonio and the Rio Grande.

So there you have it, a brief description of the most precious of the many jewels of San Antonio. If you ever get opportunity to visit S.A., DO NOT MISS the missions!