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.All Trips / California / North America / Southwestern USA
Mission San Juan Capistrano. The “Jewel” of the California Missions
I love honesty in advertising! When a place as historically famous as Mission San Juan Capistrano tells you it’s “Worth a Visit”, it’s not only a believable claim but likely one of the most understated in all of California. Founded in 1776 by Father Junipero Serra, San Juan Capistrano is one of a string of missions in the state and home to the state’s oldest surviving buildings. This is a much beloved place and is known as “The Jewel of the Missions” because of its beauty. Despite severe earthquake damage in 1812, which collapsed the roof of the Great Stone Church (still in ruins) and killed 40 people, Capistrano has endured and still functions as an active church. It …
.All Trips / California / North America / Southwestern USA
“Pic of the Week”, August 1, 2014″: Serra’s Church, Mission San Juan Capistrano
While exploring the grounds of Mission San Juan Capistrano — known as the “Jewel” of the California Missions — you’ll come upon a small chapel. It’s Serra Church, the oldest church in California, named after Father Junipero Serra who founded this mission (and eight other California missions). Our highlighted photo includes the “Golden Altar”, an early Baroque-style retablo, which is a relatively recent addition to the church. The altar is from Barcelona, handcrafted almost 400 years ago of cherry wood and overlaid in gold leaf. It was installed in the Serra Church sometime between 1922-1924.
Serra Church was built in 1782, six years after Mission San Juan Capistrano was founded (on All Saint’s day, November 1, 1776). It was one of the first …
Tagged chapel, church, Father Serra, mission, Mission San Juan Capistrano
.All Trips / California / North America / Southwestern USA
Southern California is at its best in the winter
Our family lived in Southern California for several decades before moving to Eastern Washington in 2004. We enjoyed our life in the Sunny Southland but felt it was time to leave — and we have no regrets about this decision. We still love to travel to SoCal, especially in the winter, as it is the best time of year to visit. The temperatures are pleasant (usually mid-60s — while the rest of the country is chilly), the sky blue and dotted with fluffy clouds (not gray and opacified by smog), and the hills are lush and green (not brown tinder like they’ll be late summer).
We own a timeshare in Newport Beach, which we bought almost a decade ago. The Marriott Newport Coastal Villas is a …
