Mission San Francisco de la Espada facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Mission San Francisco de la Espada |
|
|---|---|
The church of Mission San Francisco de la Espada.
|
|
| Religion | |
| Affiliation | Catholic (Roman Rite) |
| Location | |
| Location | San Antonio, Texas, U.S. |
 Location in Texas
|
|
| Architecture | |
| Architectural style | Spanish Colonial |
| Completed | Founded 1690 |
| Criteria | Cultural: (ii) |
| Designated | 2015 (39th session) |
| Parent listing | San Antonio Missions |
| Reference no. | 1466-001 |
| State Party |  United States |
| Region | Europe and North America |
| February 23, 1972; January 28, 1974 | |
| 72001351; 74002324 | |
Mission San Francisco de la Espada (also Mission Espada) is a Roman Catholic mission established in 1690 by Spain and relocated in 1731 to present-day San Antonio, Texas. The area was then called New Spain. One of the purposes of the mission was to convert local Native Americans to Catholicism. The other was to keep France from claiming Spanish territorial claims in the New World. The church building is now one of four missions that are in San Antonio Missions National Historical Park.
Contents
History
When the mission was founded in 1690 near Weches, Texas, it was called San Francisco de los Tejas. It was the first mission established in Texas.
The purpose of the mission was to convert the Nabedache Indians. After a smallpox epidemic and a drought, the Nabedache Indians wanted to get rid of the mission. The padres (priests) burned the mission and fled toward Monclova.
The mission was re-established in the same area on July 5, 1716, and named Nuestro Padre San Francisco de los Tejas. However, a conflict between Spain and France caused it to be abandoned.
The mission tried again on August 5, 1721, as San Francisco de los Neches. It was relocated along the Colorado River in July 1730. Mission Tejas State Park surrounds the original site of the mission.
The mission moved to its current location in the San Antonio River area (coordinates 29.3177°, -98.4498°) in March 1731 and was renamed San Francisco De la Espada. Those at the mission built a friary in 1745 and finished the church building in 1756.
Several modern churches have been architecturally based on the design of this mission including St. Stephen's Episcopal Church in Wimberley, Texas, north of San Antonio.
Rancho de las Cabras
Mission Espada established Rancho de las Cabras between 1750 and 1760 to grow crops and raise animals that could be used by the people living at the mission. It was located 30 miles southeast of San Antonio de Bexar. The ranch had low fences and thatched buildings known as jacales, where the natives who worked the land lived.
Espada Acequia
Mission San Francisco de la Espada's acequia (irrigation ditch) and aqueduct can still be seen today. The main ditch continues to carry water to the mission and its former farmlands. This water is still used by residents living on these neighboring lands.
To bring water to the missions along the San Antonio River, Franciscan missionaries oversaw the construction of seven gravity-flow ditches, dams, and at least one aqueduct — a 15-mile (24 km) network that irrigated approximately 3,500 acres (14 km2) of land.
Interesting facts about Mission San Francisco de la Espada
- Mission Espada was the first mission founded in Texas.
- The mission was moved from East Texas to its current location along the San Antonio River in 1731.
- Wool from sheep raised at Rancho de las Cabras in the mission era would be washed, spun, and woven at the mission.
- The Espada Acequia has run continuously since at least 1745.
- The Espada Dam is located about 2 miles north of the mission and diverts water from the San Antonio River to the Acequia.
- In 1736, Apaches raided the mission and stole the mission’s horses.
- The mission also included a large stone granary, Indian living quarters nearby, and kilns for firing bricks.
- Native peoples living at the mission learned trades such as masonry, carpentry, and stonecutting.
- Secularization of the mission completed in 1824. The 15 remaining families received land, equipment, and supplies.
Gallery
-
The Espada aqueduct as it crosses Piedras creek
-
Interior of the church
-
Nativity scene, 2009.
-
Nativity scene, 2011.
-
Mission San Francisco de Espada, San Antonio, Texas (postcard, 1901-1907)
