This category of locations includes churches and, sometimes, facilities run by churches.
While driving home from a weekend in Belleville, we stopped at this fascinating little cemetary. I had noticed it on our drive down, and made a mental note to stop on the way back for a closer look. I'm happy I did.
Mission San José y San Miguel de Aguayo, often referred to as the "Queen of the Missions," was founded on February 23, 1720, by Father Antonio Margil de Jesús. The mission was established to serve the Coahuiltecan Natives and to relieve overcrowding at Mission San Antonio de Valero (now known as the Alamo). The mission was named in part for the Marquis de San Miguel de Aguayo, José de Azlor y Virto de Vera.
Mission Nuestra Señora de la PurÃsima Concepción de Acuña, commonly known as Mission Concepción, was originally established in 1716 in East Texas. It was one of six missions authorized by the Spanish government to serve as a buffer against French incursions from Louisiana. The mission was developed by Spanish Franciscan friars with the goal of converting the local Indigenous communities to Christianity and teaching them European ways of life.
Completing my short hike from Mission Espada, I arrived at the back gates of a mission that seemed much better restored. Perhaps it was just much less damaged. In either event, I also noticed there were significantly more tourists present.
After a pleasant conversation, I got out of the Uber I had taken from my hotel in San Antonio. It was a beautiful sunny day as I walked toward the crumbling walls of what I presumed must have been an impressive structure. I had no idea what to expect as I'd never visited a Spanish Mission before. Two days prior, I had walked some of the grounds of the Alamo, but the huge number of tourists, and lengthy lineup deterred me from actually entering.
As I entered the complex, the most noticable feature was, of course, the bare outlines of the former mission. One could see where the outer walls once stood, and one got a vague sense as to how others must have lived along the inside of these walls, probably sharing in their protection. I was struck by the relative quiet, and tiny number of tourists milling about the grounds.
St. Louis Cemetery No. 1, located in New Orleans, Louisiana, is the oldest and one of the most prominent cemeteries in the city. Established in 1789, it replaced the older St. Peter Cemetery, which was no longer in existence after the city was redesigned following a devastating fire in 17881. The cemetery is situated eight blocks from the Mississippi River, on the north side of Basin Street, just beyond the inland border of the French Quarter1. It has been in continuous use since its foundation, making it a significant historical site in New Orleans.
The presence of a Roman Catholic mission church in this location begins in 1884 with construction of the original 28' x 38' structure. This church burned down on April 1, 1948.
Inaugurated in 1905, the current cathedral stands on the same site as its predecessor which had been there since 1750. Designed by architect Julius Carl Raschdorff, it cost over 11 million Reichmarks to construct. The interior included design influences by Anton von Werner.
Continuing on with my day trip, I decided to take a look at an almost-ghost-town, Biscotasing. While this town is a mere shadow of what it had been in the past, it still enjoys a busy existence during the summer, and hunting seasons.
In 2001, this incredible, old church burned almost to the ground. The committee faced three choices. First, to place a monument on the location of the church and move on. Second, to build a new, more modern church. Third, and most expensively, to build the church as an exact replica of the original. Obviously from the pictures, they chose the third, and most difficult option.
