Mission San Gabriel Arcangel was established fourth, dedicated to Saint Anthony of Padua, the patron saint for the poor. The present site is the second physically, after the first site (1771-1776) and its mission was destoyed during a flash flood. A series of earthquakes in 1812 caused the three-bell campanario to collapse. Much of the structure, built in 1805 with adobe bricks and tiled roof, seen today is original to that period.

The mission suffered the same fate of secularization as the other missions, beginning in 1834, for a number of years. Returned to the Roman Catholic Church by President Abraham Lincoln, the mission then resumed its use as a parish church starting in 1862 and continued through 1908, when restorations of the missino began at the hands of Claretian Missionaries.

Founded: September 8, 1771 (#4) by Fathers Pedro Benito Cambon and Angel de la Somera, in San Gabriel, California at 428 South Mission Drive.

Visit: Admission is $6 adults, $5 seniors, $3 children 6-17, and under 6 is free; as of July 2018. 9am to 4:30pm Tuesday to Saturday, 10am to 4pm Sundays, closed Mondays (with a few exceptions), and closed New Year's Day, Easter, July 4th, Thanksgiving, and Christmas Day.

Learn more: Mission's Web Site * Wikipedia: Mission San Gabriel Arcangel * Photos I Took * Tour Map (PDF will open in a new window; copyright Mission San Gabriel Arcangel)