As mentioned on the history page, the large Gothic church built next to the Mission was destroyed in the 1906 earthquake. In 1913 construction of a replacement was begun and that was completed in 1918. That church was further remodeled in 1926 and in 1952 the Pope changed its name to the Basilica of Mission San Francisco de Asís (Mission Dolores). This is the building you see today.
Picture taken 12:44pm 20 Feb 2012
Entering from the side and walking to the middle you see a spectacular nave and apse with a high dome…
Picture taken 11:48am 20 Feb 2012
[Side note: If you look closely at the right side of the above picture you see a light and under the light is a man at the organ. Had an organ concert while I was taking these pictures and on talking with the organist I learned that the basilica organ is entirely electronic; no pipes or mechanical parts. It produced a beautiful sound and he told me that organists come from around the world to play it.]
A closer look at the sanctuary area shows three parts: left, right, and the main sanctuary…
 Picture taken 12:02pm 20 Feb 2012 |
 Picture taken 11:51am 20 Feb 2012 |
 Picture taken 11:50am 20 Feb 2012 |
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Flanking the sanctuary to the left and right of the main altar area are two stands. The one on the left denotes the coat of arms for the diocese of San Francisco and the canopy on the right, being cloth, symbolizes that this church is a basilica (only a basilica can use a cloth canopy; wooden, fixed canopies are used in parish churches, if one is used at all — you see this distinction mainly in the various missions today).
 Picture taken 11:51am 20 Feb 2012 |
 Picture taken 11:51am 20 Feb 2012 |
Once you’ve seen the altar area turn around and look up. The basilica has a special collection of stained glass windows. Many of them represent the chain of missions and Saint Serra. Others, with largely orange backgrounds show angels and saints and one for Saint Francis. [Note: The orange windows are rather unique. If you have toured the mission at Sonoma you might have stopped at the California Missions Museum at the Cline Vineyards. If so, you would have seen a similar color window recovered from San Francisco.)
 Picture taken about Noon 20 Feb 2012 |
 Picture taken about Noon 20 Feb 2012 |
 Picture taken about Noon 20 Feb 2012 |
 Picture taken about Noon 20 Feb 2012 |
 Picture taken about Noon 20 Feb 2012 |
 Picture taken about Noon 20 Feb 2012 |
 Picture taken about Noon 20 Feb 2012 |
 Picture taken about Noon 20 Feb 2012 |
 Picture taken about Noon 20 Feb 2012 |
 Picture taken about Noon 20 Feb 2012 |
 Picture taken about Noon 20 Feb 2012 |
 Picture taken about Noon 20 Feb 2012 |
 Picture taken about Noon 20 Feb 2012 |
 Picture taken about Noon 20 Feb 2012 |
 Picture taken about Noon 20 Feb 2012 |
 Picture taken about Noon 20 Feb 2012 |
 Picture taken about Noon 20 Feb 2012 |
Continue your tour around the inside of the basilica for the various statues and art.
 Picture taken 12:06pm 20 Feb 2012 |
 Picture taken 12:06pm 20 Feb 2012 |
 Picture taken 12:08pm 20 Feb 2012 |
 Picture taken 12:09pm 20 Feb 2012 |