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Navigation for San Luis Rey de Francia:
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Picture taken 11:10am 22 Jul 2002 |
Some of the contents of the largest museum room are shown here. There
are a number of polychrome statues in this room; all dating to the mission
era. Two I found particularly striking were the statue of Christ scourged
and the Immaculate Conception. The first dates to the 1700s while the second
is special in that it was first in California at the Presidio Chapel in
San Diego; likely put there twenty years after its founding as the original
statue had been stolen in 1775. It stayed there from 1789 through 1848 when
it moved to Estudillo House in Old Town for ten years. In 1858 it moved
back to the main altar of the Adobe Chapel at the Presideo where it stood
until 1919. In 1919 it moved to the Church of the Immaculate Conception
in Old Town San Diego until 1945 when it moved to Mission San Luis Rey. |
Picture taken 11:10am 22 Jul 2002 |
| The psalm book dates from 1787. It is sheepskin enclosed in bound leather
on wood. It is held together with iron clasps and brass nails. |
Picture taken 11:10am 22 Jul 2002 |
The highlight of the room, however, is the statue of Louis IX, King of France
(1215-1270) [Saint Louis IX], the patron saint of the Mission. As no flash photography
of this area was allowed I show you two pictures. The first is the raw digital
picture taken by my camera. The second is what I was able to "pull out"
of that digital picture using various digital enhancement techniques. (Just
thought you would like to see the difference instead of thinking the final picture
was the original image.)
Picture taken 11:10am 22 Jul 2002 |
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Louis IX, King of France, was the son of Luis VIII and Blanche of Castille,
sister of Saint Ferdinand, King of Spain. After his father died his mother ruled
as regent until he came of age and took the throne. He preferred peace to war
and led a holy life. He led two crusades: the first to Egypt 1248-49 where he
was imprisoned. The second crusade to Tunis in 1270 resulted in his death. He
was a member of the Third Order of Saint Francis and eventually became their
patron. He was canonized in 1297. His renditions in Spanish countries is usually
bearded; earlier renditions show him clean shaven. This is one of the few renditions
of him in California and dates to 1808 (before that only a painting was available
at the Mission). This statue was removed from the Mission in the 1840s and taken
to the Pala Asistencia where it stayed
safe for some 150 years. It returned to the Mission in 1988.
Continue to the Gardens
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