Nuestra Señora Reina de los Ángeles Asistencia facts for kids
"Los Ángeles Plaza" circa 1847. The "Plaza Church"
(foreground, seen from the rear) occupies what remains of the Mission San Gabriel Arcángel asistencia site. |
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 Location in the Los Angeles metropolitan area
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| Location | Los Angeles, California |
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| Coordinates | 34°03′26″N 118°14′23″W / 34.0572°N 118.2396°W |
| Name as founded | Asistencia de la Misión San Gabriel, Arcángel |
| English translation | Sub-Mission of the Mission San Gabriel Arcángel |
| Founding date | 1784 |
| Military district | First |
| Native tribe(s) Spanish name(s) |
Tongva Gabrieliño |
| Native place name(s) | Yaanga |
| Current use | Nonextant |
The Nuestra Señora Reina de los Ángeles Asistencia was like a small helper mission. It was started in 1784 in a growing town called Pueblo de Los Ángeles. This town was next to a native village named Yaanga. The main mission, Mission San Gabriel Arcángel, was too far away to help everyone in this new area.
Over time, this helper mission was not used as much. About 30 years later, a new Catholic church was built in its place. This church was called La Iglesia de Nuestra Señora Reina de los Ángeles.
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History of the Helper Mission
Starting the San Gabriel Helper Mission
In early 1784, priests from San Gabriel created this helper mission. It was in the nearby town of Los Ángeles, by the El Río de Nuestra Señora la Reina de los Ángeles de Porciúncula river. Many native people lived here, and the priests wanted to teach them about their religion.
The main mission was too far to reach everyone easily. Father Presidente Junípero Serra visited this helper mission in March 1784. This was just five months before he passed away.
The helper mission did more than just teach religion. It also grew crops and raised animals. This food helped feed the people at the main Mission San Gabriel. The area had plenty of water, which was great for planting fruit trees and raising cattle.
However, as the town of Los Ángeles grew, the native people moved away. The priests eventually left the helper mission site. Today, not much is left of the original buildings.
The Church of Our Lady the Queen of the Angels
On August 18, 1814, a priest named Fray Luis Gíl y Taboada started building a new church. It was built on the old helper mission's ruins for the local settlers. The church was finished and opened on December 8, 1822.
The priests from San Gabriel even gave 7 barrels of brandy to help start the new church. This new chapel was named after Mary, Mother of Jesus. It was called La Iglesia de Nuestra Señora de los Ángeles, meaning "The Church of Our Lady of the Angels." The word "Reina," meaning "Queen," was added later.
In 1861, the church was rebuilt using parts of the original building. For many years, this small chapel was the only Roman Catholic church in Los Angeles. People often called it "La Placita" or "Plaza Church." Today, the area around the Plaza is famous as Olvera Street.
See Also
