Mission San Gabriel Arcángel is a Christian religious center that was established by Spanish Roman Catholic priests in California. The Franciscan missionary Saint Junípero Serra founded the mission on Sept. 8, 1771, near what is now Montebello, California. In 1776, after floods destroyed many of their crops, the priests moved the mission 5 miles (8 kilometers) away to its present site in San Gabriel. The mission was named for the angel Gabriel, a messenger of God in the Bible. Local Shoshone Indians helped build the mission and were some of its earliest members.
Between 1769 and 1823, Spanish priests started 21 missions as centers for teaching the Indians of California about Christianity. After moving to the new site in 1776, Mission San Gabriel became known as the “pride of the missions.” It produced more wheat than any other mission, as well as large crops of beans, corn, and wine. Large herds of cattle and sheep roamed the surrounding pastures. In 1781, a group of settlers from Mission San Gabriel traveled west to officially found the pueblo (town) of Los Angeles.
In 1833 and 1834, the Mexican government seized and redistributed properties that had belonged to the missions. Mission San Gabriel ceased to exist, but the chapel served as a local Roman Catholic parish from 1859 to 1909. The mission was then restored and rebuilt by the Claretians, a religious community of Catholic priests and brothers.
The church at Mission San Gabriel is one of only three mission churches built of stone. It was restored after sustaining damage in a 1987 earthquake. Today, the convento, or living quarters, houses a museum that includes the original mission library. The mission grounds feature an aqueduct, cemetery, gardens, and soap factory, as well as the San Gabriel Mission High School for girls. Mission San Gabriel remains an active parish.
